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ZULU-LAND; 


LIFE  AMONG  THE  ZULU-KAFIES 

OF 

NATAL  AND  ZULU-LAND, 

SOUTH  AFRICA. 

WITH  MAP,  AND  ILLUSTRATIONS, 

LAKGELY  FROM  ORIGINAL  PHOTOGRAPHS. 
BY 

Rev.  LEWIS  (JfROUT, 

FOK  FIFTEEN  YEARS  MISSIONARY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  BOARD  IN 
SOUTH  AFRICA, 

AUTHOR  OF  THE  "  GRAMMAR  OF  THE  ZULU  LANGUAGE,"  AND  CORRESPOND- 
ING MEMBER  OF  THE  AMERICAN  ORIENTAL  SOCIETY. 


PHILADELPHIA: 
PRESBYTEEIAX  PUBLICATION  COMMITTEE, 
1334  CHESTNUT  STREET. 

NEW  YORK  :  A.  D.  F.  RANDOLPH,  tVO  BROADWAY. 


Entered  according  to  the  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1864,  by 
WM.  L.  HILDEBURN,  Treasurer, 
in  trti8t  for  the 
PRESBYTERIAN  PUBLICATION  COMMITTEE, 

In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  for  the  Eastern  District 
of  Pennsylvania. 


6IEEE0XYPED  BT  WESXCOTT  &  THOMSON. 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  1. 

PAGE 

First  Experience  in  Africa   7 

CHAPTER  11. 

Terra  Natalis,  Christmas  Land  ;  as  seen  by  Early  Voyagers.  18 
CHAPTER  III. 

Position  and  Geographical  Features  of  Natal   32 

CHAPTER  IV. 

The  Seasons  and  Climate — The  Nocturnal  Heavens   39 

CHAPTER  V. 

First  European  Settlement  at  the  Cape — Migrations  of  the 
Dutch  Farmers  previous  to  their  arrival  in  the  District 
of  Natal   48 

CHAPTER  VI. 

Origin  and  Relationship  op  the  Zulu-Kafir  and  other  Zingian 
Tribes   59 

CHAPTER  VII. 

Early  Accounts  op  Natal — History  op  the  Rulers — Reign  op 

Chaka   68 

3 


%  i 


i  CHAPTER  VIII.  t 

PAG« 

What  the  Dutch  did  and  suffered  m  Natal,  and  -how  the 
District  became  a  British  Colony   79 

CHAPTER  IX. 

Appearance  and  pursuits  op  the  Natives   94 

CHAPTER  X. 

Zulu-Kafir  Law  and  Government  ;  their  influence  upon  the 
Native  Mind   115 

CHAPTER  XL 

Superstitious  Views  and  Practices  op  the  People;  "Wizards, 
Priests,  and  Doctors   132 

CHAPTER  XIL 

Matrimonial  Affairs  in  Zulu-land   163 

CHAPTER  XIIL 

Character  ; — Moulding  Agencies  ; — Bent  and  Capacities  of  the 
Native  Mind   174 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

Zulu  Language  and  Literature   187 

CHAPTER  XV. 

History  of  the  American  Zulu  Mission  from  1834  to  1843, — 
The  first  nine  years  of  its  existence   201 

CHAPTER  XVL 

History  of  the  American  Zulu  Mission  from  1843  to  1862   213 

CHAPTER  XVIL 

History  op  the  Inland  American  Mission,  to  TJm^ilikazi  and 
HIS  People,  at  Mosiga   227 


CONTENTS. 


5 


'chapter  XVIII. 

FAGB 

European  Missions  to  Zulu-land — English  "Wesleyan,  Norwe- 
gian, Berlin,  Hanoverian,  Church  op  England,  and  Roman 


Catholic   238 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

The  Geological  Features  of  Natal   255 

CHAPTER  XX. 

Botanical  Productions   270 

CHAPTER  XXI. 

The  Fauna  of  Natal — Beasts,   289 

CHAPTER  XXII. 
Reptiles   305 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 
Insects  and  Birds  -   320 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 
European  Enterprise  in  Natal   332 

CHAPTER  XXV. 

Present  state  of  affairs  in  Zulu-land   345 

1* 


ZULU-LAND 


CHAPTEH  I. 

FIRST  EXPERIENCE  IN  AFRICA. 

Ordained  and  married,  one  day,  among  tlie  hills  of 
Vermont,  the  next  brings  us  to  Boston,  and  the  third 
finds  us  out  on  the  tossing,  briny  deep,  speeding  our 
course  to  the  south-eastern  shores  of  Africa.  Two 
months'  fair  sailing  shows  us  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope, 
Africa's  great  southern  land-mark,  rising  out  of  the 
deep  blue  sea,  and  makes  our  hearts  leap  again  to  see 
and  feel  solid  earth.  Six  weeks  we  wait  here  among 
kind.  Christian  friends,  to  find  a  ship  bound  direct  to 
Natal ;  and  then  thirty-two  days  of  rough,  risky  sail- 
ing brings  us  to  our  long  desired  haven,  than  which  no 
land  had  ever  looked  to  us  more  beautiful. 

The  nautical  "Rosebud,"  must  now  be  exchanged 
for  a  Boer's  wagon ;  the  sailing  ship  for  a  tented  tra- 
veling house;  the  horses  of  Neptune  for  a  Dutchman's 
nag  and  a  dozen  African  bullocks. 

"Now  I  leave  you  to  take  charge  of  the  wagons, 

while  I  ride  over  yonder  and  make  a  few  purchases. 

Drive  out  a  little  way  up  the  plain,  find  out  a  good 

place  in  which  to  outspan  for  the  night.    Be  diligent 

7 


8 


ZU:.U-LAND. 


for  the  rain  is  coming."  So  said  a  brother  missionary 
as  we  were  about  leaving  the  few  rude  signs  of  civiliza- 
tion in  Durban,  and  setting  off  for  a  mission  station 
forty  miles  away  to  the  north.  Friends  in  Natal  had 
furnished  us  with  a  wagon,  oxen,  and  all  the  essential 
paraphernalia  of  that  interesting  and  important  institu- 
tion, an  African  ox-wagon — a  leader  and  driver  for 
the  oxen,  a  chest  of  food,  bedding,  native  attendants, 
cooking  utensils,  and  tea  dishes — indeed,  all  that  was 
essential  for  three  or  four  days'  sojourn  in  the  fields  or 
along  the  coast,  wherever  a  way  can  be  found,  over 
plains,  hills  and  rivers,  and  among  savages,  till  we  reach 
the  station  of  our  missionary  companion,  who  has  come 
to  bring  us  to  his  home. 

Just  here  and  now  it  was  that  the  realities  and  ro- 
mance of  mission  life  in  a  strange  land,  on  a  barbarous 
coast,  began  to  roll  up  like  the  rush  and  mingling  of 
waves  about  the  point  where  two  seas  meet.  I  had  al- 
ready heard  something  about  outspanning,'' — just 
enough  to  know  that  it  signified  to  set  the  oxen  free 
from  their  semi-civilized  gear,  that  combination  of  iron, 
wood,  and  thongs  cut  from  the  hide  of  buffalo  or  other 
animal,  a  gear  such  as  nothing  but  a  good  deal  of  Eng- 
lish ingenuity,  Dutchified  and  Zuluized,  could  ever  de- 
vise or  execute.  But  to  understand  all  the  conditions 
of  a  good  place  in  which  to  "  outspan  for  the  night," — 
to  know  that  such  a  place  ought  to  be  a  smooth,  open, 
grassy  plat  on  the  lee  side  of  a  thick  bush,  which  shall 
break  off  the  driving  wind,  perchance  the  pelting  rain, 
with  grass,  wood,  and  water  near  at  hand  for  man  and 
beast,  was  a  kind  of  knowledge  to  which  I  had  not  yet 
attained.    Such  a  spot,  however,  I  was  now  charged 


FIRST  EXPERIENCE  IN  AFRICA. 


9 


and  expected  to  find ;  and  not  for  myself  and  family 
alone,  but  for  that  of  a  veteran,  whose  practiced  eye, 
the  moment  he  should  ride  up  an  hour  hence,  would  see 
all  our  defects  at  a  glance,  and  lead  him  to  wonder  how 
we  could  be  so  stupid  as  to  stop  for  a  night  just  out  of 
reach  of  all  that  is  desirable. 

But  we  must  do  our  best.  After  some  careful  cogi- 
tation along  the  road,  as  to  how  and  whither  we  shall 
proceed,  we  conclude  to  leave  the  question  of  a  place 
in  which  to  pitch  our  rolling  tents  to  the  better  dis- 
cretion of  our  native  attendants. 

Morning  breaks  upon  our  encampment.  The  rains 
have  raised  the  rivers.  The  Umgeni  is  high ;  but  the 
tall  driver,  wading  half  through,  thinks  it  fordable. 
The  threatening  clouds  are  beginning  to  pour  their  tor- 
rents upon  the  earth.  As  the  day  declines  we  outspan 
again ; — no  difficulty  is  there  in  finding  water  now  ! 
Amid  the  falling  torrents  the  fire  is  to  be  kindled,  by 
which  to  prepare  our  evening  repast.  This  done — we 
dismiss  our  attendants  to  find  shelter  and  lodgings,  if 
they  can,  among  the  kraals  of  their  own  people,  while 
we  close  the  curtains  of  the  tented  wagon  and  prepare 
to  pass  the  night  in  the  broad,  open  fields,  ever  and  anon 
all  shining,  as  they  are,  with  the  lightning's  flash,  or 
trembling  with  the  thunder's  terrific  crash.  But  we 
"  laid  us  down  and  slept,  and  awoke,  for  the  Lord  sus- 
tained us." 

The  morning  is  we^^,  and  cloudy,  but  we  must  journey 
on.  We  resume  our  northward  course.  Stopping  for 
dinner,  the  rains  keep  us  till  night,  and  then  till  morn- 
ing dawns. 

\Ye  have  now  learned  several  important  lessons,  one 


10 


ZULU-LAXD. 


of  which  is,  that  a  leaky  wagon  is  only  fit  for  fair  wea- 
ther ;  and  anothei  is,  that  it  is  easier  to  go  without  tea 
than  to  gather  wood,  kindle  a  fire,  and  make  it  in  the 
rain. 

The  next  day  is  fine,  fresh,  sweet ;  everything  is 
pleasant  and  inviting,  except  the  slippery  roads  and 
swollen  streams.  Waiting  a  day  for  the  Umtongati  to 
subside,  we  venture  in  and  pass  over,  though  the  water 
comes  up  some  six  or  eight  inches  into  the  body  of  the 
wagon.  Delayed  by  rains  and  rivers,  we  reach  the 
Umhlali  on  Saturday,  the  sun  fast  setting  in  the  west. 
Our  food  is  all  gone ;  the  river  is  higher  than  any  we 
have  crossed,  and  lies  withal,  right  in  the  way  of  the 
station  we  seek.  And  besides,  there  is  an  alligator 
here  ;  we  know  there  is,  for  he  was  found  basking  in  the 
sun  by  the  river  side  as  we  drove  up.  To  spend  the 
Sabbath  where  we  are,  within  two  hours'  drive  of  the 
home  we  seek, — and  nothing  but  sugar  and  salt  to  eat — 
how  can  we  ?  Leave  our  wagon  here  in  the  field,  with 
all  the  heavier  luggage ;  put  the  two  teams,  twenty- 
four  oxen,  together ;  put  the  trunks  of  clothing  upon 
the  bedstead,  itself  on  a  level  with  the  top-rail  of  the 
wagon  body ;  put  the  bedding  on  the  trunks,  and  the 
women  and  children  on  the  bed,  in  the  roof  of  the  wa- 
gon. Now  put  the  man  who  is  to  lead  the  oxen  on  a 
horse  that  can  swim  ;  choose  the  best  of  the  two  drivers 
and  give  him  the  best  whip.  Such  is  the  plan — these 
the  orders.  ''All  ready— Start !"  Crash  Stop  ! 
what's  that?"  The  bedstead  has  broken  down; — 
must  be  raised  again,  and  propped  up.  All  is  in  order. 
"Ready— Start!— Stop!"  The  front  oxen  have  pulled 
away  from  the  leader  and  returned  to  the  shore.  "  Send 


FIRST  EXPERIENCE  IN  AFRICA. 


11 


Another  leader  to  his  help ;  straighten  the  team."  The 
orders  are  obeyed.  "  All  right  again.  Now,  go  ahead !" 
We  enter  the  stream, — down,  down  goes  the  wagon — 
up,  up  comes  the  water.  The  oxen  are  swimming — 
the  water  rushes  over  the  top  of  the  wagon  body,  fills  it 
full.  But  our  brave  oxen  go  forward  and  we  soon  as- 
cend the  opposite  bank  in  safety. 

In  about  two  hours  more,  as  the  silent  shades  of  Sa- 
turday evening  come  stealing  over  us,  we  find  ourselves 
safely  arrived  at  the  station  we  were  seeking  in  the 
beautiful  valley  of  the  Umvoti. 

Weeks  pass  away.  The  native  language  occupies 
the  most  of  my  thoughts.  How  to  speak  it  as  they 
speak  it — this,  for  the  present,  is  the  great  object  of 
study.  At  length  there  comes  a  chieftain — Umusi  is 
his  name — and  says  he  wants  a  missionary.  We  go  to 
find  out  his  abode,  the  locality  of  his  people,  and  select 
a  place  for  a  station.  The  journey  is  made  on  horse- 
back. The  first  day  brings  us  to  the  station  of  the 
Rev.  Daniel  Lindley,  who  is  to  be  our  exploring  com- 
panion. Towards  the  close  of  the  second  day  we  come 
up  from  our  windings  along  the  banks  of  the  Umhloti. 
Fairly  at  the  top  of  the  steep  ascent,  on  the  margin  of 
a  broad,  high  table  land,  there  we  stand,  enveloped  in  a 
dense  fog,  and  giving  a  bewildered,  prying  gaze  at  the 
three  paths  into  which  the  one  we  had  followed  thus  far, 
now  divides.  Hoping  to  be  directed  in  our  course,  at 
this  point,  by  the  sight  of  a  high  hill  at  the  base  of 
which  the  chieftain  had  his  abode,  we  had  left  our  na- 
tive guide  to  fall  in  the  rear  and  take  a  nearer  foot- 
path, which  our  horses  could  not  follow.  We  must  de- 
cide for  ourselves  which  of  the  three  paths  before  us 


12 


ZULU-LAND. 


may  be  the  right  one.  AYe  take  the  wrong,  and  journey 
on.  The  path  promises  well  at  first ;  but  presently  we 
begin  to  feel  that  this  is  not  the  course  we  ought  to 
pursue.  Still,  it  may  be  the  right  path,  and  we  jour- 
ney on. 

We  presently  begin  to  wonder  if  we  are  not  almost 
there.  How  long  the  road  is,  and  nobody  to  be  seen 
on  the  way.  "VVe  are  probably  in  the  wrong,  but  how 
shall  we  get  right  ?  We  cannot  go  back ;  night  would 
be  upon  us  before  we  could  reach  any  shelter.  In  fact 
it  is  already  upon  us ;  nor  is  there  always  light  enough 
for  us  to  tell  whether  we  are  in  the  path  or  out  of  it, 
except  as  we  judge  by  the  sound  of  the  foot-falling  of 
the  beasts  we  are  riding.  Nor  can  we  rid  ourselves  of 
the  impression,  now  and  then,  that  we  are  passing  along 
the  edge  of  some  fearful  precipice.  The  dense  fog  we 
encountered  an  hour  ago  has  changed,  first  into  a  thick 
mist,  next,  into  a  drizzly  rain.  In  a  strange  place,  a 
new,  wild  country  ;  knowing  that  the  hyena,  or  prairie 
wolf,  often  follows  the  horseman,  sometimes  in  packs, 
to  pick  him  up  and  take  care  of  him,  should  he  or  his 
horse  meet  with  any  mishap ;  knowing  too  that  the 
leopard  may  be  lurking  in  any  dark  ravine  or  bushy 
nook  through  which  we  pass,  the  sign  of  anything 
human,  the  cry  of  a  child,  of  a  sheep  or  goat,  cow  or 
dog — anything  to  tell  us  that  we  are  not  far  from  a 
human  habitation,  be  it  never  so  humble  and  rude,  would 
be  music  in  our  ears. 

But  look  !  Hark  !  There  is  a  light  in  the  distance ; 
and  do  you  not  hear  voices  ?  We  reach  the  spot,  and 
find  that  a  company  of  natives  have  just  selected  this 
as  the  site  of  their  new  house.    We  ask  for  corn  to 


FIRST  EXPERIENCE  IN  AFRICA. 


13 


^ive  our  hungry  horses,  and  a  hut  for  ourselves.  They 
say  they  have  neither,  and  they  seem  to  tell  the  truth. 
Offering  to  lead  us  over  a  plain  and  beyond  a  hill,  to  a 
large,  flourishing  hraal^  with  assurance  that,  once  there, 
we  can  get  all  we  want,  we  ride  on  for  another  hour. 

Wet,  tired,  hungry,  we  are  glad  to  find  in  a  Zulu  hut 
a  shelter  from  the  rain,  though  we  must  come  down  upon 
all  fours  to  enter,  the  door,  like  all  doors  to  these 
rude  African  houses,  being  only  about  two  feet  high  and 
eighteen  inches  wide.  In  the  absence  of  anything  like 
a  chair,  we  take  our  seat  upon  a  piece  of  wood,  a  short, 
crooked  pole  which  marks  off  a  part  of  the  house  as  an 
apartment  for  calves.  Soon  the  people  have  gathered 
about  us  in  great  numbers,  old  men  and  young,  mothers 
and  maidens,  boys  and  girls,  an  astonished,  motley 
group,  glad  we  have  come,  wondering  what  brought  us 
thither,  and  not  a  little  pleased  and  surprised  that  we 
can  talk  with  them  in  their  own  tongue.  They  give  us 
the  best  they  have,  though  it  be  but  a  calabash  of  milk 
and  a  basket  of  boiled  maize.  It  is  late,  and  time  to 
retire.  The  most  of  the  people  withdraw ;  some  re- 
main, between  whom  and  ourselves,  together  with  the 
calves,  a  dog  or  two,  an  army  of  rats  and  mice,  the  one- 
roomed,  smoky  hut  is  to  be  shared.  Commending  our- 
selves to  the  care  of  that  kind  Providence  whose  pre- 
sence may  be  found  in  all  places,  and  recounting  be- 
tween ourselves  the  events  and  labors  of  the  day,  the 
mat  our  host  has  brought  is  spread  upon  the  ground. 
With  our  blankets  spread  upon  the  mat,  we  get  sleep 
enough  to  be  ready  to  greet  refreshed  the  morning's 
dawn. 

And  now,  as  the  birds  begin  their  joyous  carol,  ming- 
2 


14 


ZULU-LAND. 


ling  their  sweet  music  with  the  song  of  the  merry  brook 
that  flows  at  the  foot  of  the  hillock  on  which  we  have 
encamped,  from  the  dark,  low  hut  we  emerge  into  the 
bright  light.  We  think  that  our  eyes  have  seldom 
'  fallen  upon  a  landscape  of  more  native  beauty.  Look- 
ing along  the  hills  and  valleys  that  stretch  out,  up  and 
down  the  country,  covered  as  they  now  are  with  flowers 
of  various  hue  and  shape  and  grass  of  richest  green, 
fragrant  withal  as  a  rose,  we  fancy  we  have  found  some- 
thing like  another  Paradise,  where  "only  man  is  vile." 

Admiring  the  prospect  before  us  and  turning  his  eyes 
to  a  green,  oval  field,  across  the  brook,  half  a  mile  away, 
my  friend  Lindley  said,  If  we  can  only  find  a  peren- 
nial spring  in  that  region,  you  cannot  have  a  better 
place  for  a  station."  We  passed  over,  found  the  spring 
we  required,  and  fixed  upon  it  as  a  place  of  future  abode 
and  labor,  calling  it  after  the  name  of  the  brook  upon 
whose  sources  it  is  situated,  Umsunduzi. 

Returning  to  Umlazi,  where,  of  late,  I  had  been 
making  my  abode,  I  procure  a  wagon  and  oxen,  en- 
gage a  driver  and  leader,  pack  up  such  tools  and  other 
efiects  as  I  shall  require  to  erect  a  house  in  the  wild 
open  fields,  far  from  all  the  helps  of  civilized  life — axe 
and  spade,  saw  and  auger,  hammer  and  chisel,  glass  and 
nails,  grindstone  and  vise,  food  and  clothing,  bedding 
and  books,  a  large  wagon  well  filled,  and  prepare  to 
start.  My  oxen  are  fresh — some  of  them  not  more 
than  half  trained.  The  driver  and  leader  with  Zulu 
boys  engaged  to  aid  in  the  enterprise  before  us  are  well 
nigh  as  wild,  and  quite  as  uncivilized  as  the  wildest  of 
the  oxen.  Having  "inspanned"  and  brought  the  oxen 
and  wagon  into  all  due  traveling  relations  after  the  or- 


FIRST  EXPERIENCE  IN  /.ERICA. 


15 


dinary  Dutcli  and  Zulu  fashion,  the  driver  takes  his 
stand  on  the  front  of  the  wagon,  gives  his  mammoth 
whip  a  crack,  shouts  to  the  leader,  in  Zulu,  "Hamba;" 
to  the  oxen  in  Dutch,  ''Loop;"  and  the  whole  establish- 
ment begins  at  once  to  'Hrek.'' 

After  advancing  a  few  rods,  we  must  descend  a  long, 
steep  hill ;  the  driver  has  forgotten  to  stop  and  chain 
the  wheel ;  the  wagon  begins  to  crowd  heavy  upon  the 
wheel  oxen,  and  they  upon  the  next  in  front ;  now  all 
are  on  the  trot,  then  all  on  the  gallop;  soon  some  have 
taken  fright  at  the  rattle  of  the  wagon,  and  begin  to 
bellow,  and  presently  all  are  racing  down-hill  at  the 
top  of  their  speed,  and  the  wagon  follows ;  driver  and 
leader  meantime  shouting  to  their  team,  now  in  Dutch, 
now  in  Zulu,  and  now  in  something  else,  to  stop  and  go 
steady;  while  the  anxious  proprietor  attracted  by  the 
tumult  to  the  top  of  the  hill,  stands  watching  the  pro- 
gress of  the  lively  operation,  and  expecting  every  mo- 
ment to  see  the  wagon  and  all  in  it  dashed  to  pieces. 
But  driver  and  leader,  finding  it  impossible  to  stay  the 
downward,  rushing  course  of  events,  give  themselves 
up  wisely,  to  keeping  the  team  straight,  and  finally 
fetch  up  in  the  plain  below,  the  oxen  all  on  their  legs, 
the  wagon  on  its  wheels,  and  with  only  a  few  articles 
broken  beyond  repair. 

The  contemplated  station  is  fifty  miles  distant,  and 
the  road  for  a  great  part  of  the  way  must  be  found  or 
made  as  w^e  go.  Three  days  of  toil  and  travel,  now  to 
hunt  up  lost  oxen,  now  to  boggle  in  some  river's  deep 
sand  and  water,  now  to  find  a  wagon  road  through  some 
ravine,  with  an  occasional  surprise  from  the  startled 
uprising  and  flight  of  buck  or  buffalo  that  might  be 


16 


ZULU-LAXD. 


lying  in  tlie  tall  grass  of  the  fields  we  traverse,  bring 
us  to  the  site  of  our  new  home. 

In  a  note-book  kept  in  those  days,  I  find  a  memo- 
randum made  on  the  day  of  our  arrival,  September  30, 
1847, — "Written  at  the  close  of  day  in  my  wagon,  while 
the  rain  is  falling  in  torrents,  amid  dazzling  flashes  of 
lightning  and  almost  deafening  roar  of  thunder." 

The  Zulu  boys  make  the  oxen  fast  by  the  wagon  for 
the  night,  and  go  to  seek  lodgings  at  a  neighboring 
kraal ;  the  curtains  of  the  wagon  are  closed  and  made 
fast  fore  and  aft,  the  light  extinguished,  and  the  lone 
occupant  of  the  premises  is  beginning  to  lose  all  con- 
sciousness of  time,  place  and  circumstance,  when  a  pack 
of  prowling  hyenas  set  up  one  of  the  most  hideous  cries 
that  ever  entered  the  ear  of  man.  They  seem  to  be 
passing  along  and  approaching  us,  just  down  under  the 
hill  only  a  few  rods  from  our  encampment.  I  had  never 
heard  them  before,  though  I  had  heard  of  them.  The 
doleful,  hideous  cry  sends  a  chill  through  my  veins, 
raises  the  oxen  from  their  recumbent  posture,  and  sets 
them  all  a-stir.  I  strike  a  light,  open  the  tent,  set  up 
a  counter  shout.  They  stop  their  cry,  and  move  off  in 
another  direction. 

^  ;Jt  ^  5};  4=  * 

"  Hail !  king  !  white  man  !  teacher  !  Where  is  thy 
Book  ?  How  does  it  look,  what  does  it  say,  what  will 
it  do?  let  us  see  it,  hear  it,  have  it,  learn  it."  Such 
was  the  salutation  and  welcome  which  a  company  of 
boys  gave  us  the  next  day.  They  had  heard  of  cm- 
coming,  had  seen  the  white  wagon  outspanned  in  the 
field ;  and  now,  leaving  their  herds  of  cattle  on  the 
hills,  they  had  come  down  to  see  us,  make  us  welcome,  • 


FIRST  EXPERIENCE  IN  AFRICA. 


17 


and  ask  to  read  the  Book  which  they  had  understood  it 
to  be  our  object  in  coming  there  to  teach  them. 

"  Si  za  kwenza  njani  na  ?  What  shall  we  do  ?"  was 
the  reply.  "No  house  to  live  in.  We  were  just  starting 
for  the  bush  to  cut  some  poles  and  put  up  a  shelter  for 
our  heads.  But  you  shall  see  the  Book  and  be  taught 
to  read  it."  So  bringing  out  a  copy,  we  commenced 
teaching  them  the  alphabet. 

The  next  day  we  had  a  still  larger  class,  more  boys, 
and  a  few  girls.  Some  of  the  latter,  being  nurses, 
brought  their  infant  brothers  and  sisters  with  them, 
having  them  bound,  a-la  Zulu,  on  their  backs  with  goat 
skins ;  so  that  now,  the  second  day,  we  have  three 
classes,  a  class  of  boys,  a  class  of  girls,  and  an  infant 
class. 

Meantime  our  own  boys,  as  we  were  accustomed  to 
call  our  native  helpers,  are  cutting  timber  in  the  bush, 
and  hauling  it  home  for  a  house.  Setting  posts  in  the 
ground,  weaving  in  wattles  between  them,  plastering 
up  and  down,  inside  and  out,  with  a  kind  of  clay  found 
there,  putting  on  the  frame  of  a  roof  and  covering  it 
with  thatch,  washing  the  walls  with  white  clay  found  in 
the  neighborhood,  making  also  here  and  there  a  door 
and  window,  we  have  a  house  of  two  rooms,  each  ten  by 
twelve  feet,  of  w^hich  we  think,  perhaps,  as  much  as 
Queen  Victoria  of  her  palace. 

Our  work  is  now  begun,  at  our  first  station,  Umsun- 

DUZI. 

2  * 


✓ 


18 


ZULU-LAND. 


CHAPTER  11. 

TERRA  NATALIS,  CHRISTMAS  LAND;  AS  SEEN  BY  EARLY 
VOYAGERS. 

From  deserts  -vrild  and  many  a  pathless  wood 

Of  savage  climes  where  I  have  wandered  lon^, 

Whose  hills  and  streams  are  yet  ungraced  by  song, 

I  bring,  illustrious  friend,  this  garland  rude. 

The  offering,  though  uncouth,  in  kindly  mood 

Thou  wilt  regard,  if  haply  there  should  be 

'Mong  meaner  things,  the  flower  simplicity, 

Fresh  from  coy  Nature's  virgin  solitude.  Pringle. 

It  was  about  the  middle  of  December,  1497,  that 
Vasco  de  Gama  passed  the  last  beacon,  a  cross  which  his 
pioneer  predecessor,  Bartholomew  Diaz,  had  set  up 
about  two  hundred  leagues  to  the  east  of  the  "  Stormy 
cape."  Putting  out  now  more  to  sea,  he  sailed  to  the 
north-east  till  the  25th  of  December,  when  he  made 
land  again.  As  this  was  Christmas  day,  in  honor  of 
our  Saviour's  birth,  the  country  was  called  Tierra  de 
Natal,  or  land  of  the  Nativity. 

"This  day  God  came  by  human  birth. 
Atoned  himself  for  all  on  earth  : 
Thou  beauteous  land  this  love  recall. 
And  be  for  ever  sweet  Natal." 

Such  was  the  discovery  and  naming  of  this  land  of 
Natal,  from  and  about  which  I  write.  But  Vasco  de  Gama 


CHRISTMAc-LAND. 


19 


was  not  tlie  first  voyager  to  these  distant  shores.  The 
earliest  history  bearing  upon  the  subject,  dates  from  the 
diluvian  age,  and  the  realms  of  Ararat.  It  gives  us  a 
glimpse  at  movements  made  then  and  there  for  the  peo- 
pling of  this  whole  continent.  In  the  10th  chapter  of 
Genesis,  we  find  that  Africa  fell  to  Ham  and  his  sons. 
The  second  of  his  sons,  Mizraim,  is  generally  supposed 
to  have  planted  himself  first  in  Egypt,  and  to  have 
spread  from  thence  over  the  neighboring  regions.  Pos- 
sibly some  son  of  his,  some  grandson,  or  great  grand- 
son pushed  ofi"  towards  the  south,  and  gave  birth  to 
some  tribe  which  wandered  on  till  it  reached  the  south- 
ern point  of  the  continent,  and  finally  gave  origin  to 
the  clans  now  known  as  the  Hottentots  and  Bushmen. 
But  in  respect  to  the  tribes  that  inhabit  the  land  of  Na- 
tal and  adjacent  districts,  I  may  have  more  to  say  in 
other  pages. 

About  six  hundred  years  before  the  Christian  era, 
Pharaoh  Necho,  king  of  Egypt,  he  who  fought  Josiah, 
king  of  Judah,  and  slew  him  at  Megiddo,*  fitted  out  an 
expedition  and  sent  it  by  sea  to  learn  the  form  and 
limits  of  Libya, — as  this  land  of  the  sun  was  then 
called.  The  habits  and  prejudices  of  his  own  people, 
the  ancient  Egyptians,  not  being  such  as  to  fit  them  for 
the  navigator's  life,  Necho  procured  sailors  from  among 
the  Phoenicians.  The  fleet  seems  to  have  been  large,  and 
the  voyage  long.  Nor  is  this  strange,  when  we  con- 
sider how  rude  must  have  been  their  vessels,  and  how 
many  the  obstacles  with  which  they  had  to  contend. 
Sailing  down  the  Red  Sea,  they  entered  the  Indian 
ocean,  and  thence  pursued  a  plodding  course  along 

*  2  Kings  xxiii. 


20 


ZUL  ;-LAXD. 


Africa's  eastern  coast.  On  wliatsoever  part  of  the  coast 
they  might  be  when  the  rainy  season  set  in,  it  was  the 
practice  of  these  patient  mariners  to  hiy  up  their  ships, 
go  ashore,  dig  and  sow  the  land,  reap  the  grain,  and 
then  put  to  sea  again,  and  pass  on.  Having  spent  two 
years  in  this  way,  the  third  brought  them  round  to  the 
Pillars  of  Hercules,  (the  Straits  of  Gibraltar,)  into  the 
Mediterranean  Sea,  and  so  back  to  Egypt. 

Since  it  is  scarcely  possible  that  a  fleet  creeping  thus 
along  the  coast,  should  have  passed  a  splendid  harbor, 
without  entering  and  landing  for  a  season,  must  we  not 
suppose  that  Pharaoh  Necho's  Phoenician  navigators, 
could  they  come  up  from  the  graves  in  which  they  have 
slept  more  than  two  thousand  years,  would  lay  a  just 
claim  to  the  credit  of  being  the  first  foreigners  to  set 
their  eyes  and  plant  their  feet  on  these  enticing  shores  ? 
After  two  or  three  years'  travel  and  tossing  in  such 
new  far-off  land  and  water,  they  went  home,  no  doubt — 

"Full  of  new  and  strange  adventures, 
Marvels  many  and  many  wonders." 

The  Phoenicians  ie'mg  men  of  letters,  the  first  to  in- 
vent and  develop  alphabetical  writing,  of  course  the 
Admiral  of  the  fleet  kept  a  Journal  of  their  experience 
and  observations  ;  and,  if  Necho  had  no  newspaper,  nor 
press  of  any  kind,  in  which  to  have  it  printed,  who  can 
question  that  he  got  the  gallant  admiral  to  deliver  the 
substance  of  it  as  a  course  of  lectures  in  the  City  Hall, 
the  Park,  or  Academy  ?  But  were  the  people  prepared 
to  credit  the  weather-beaten  mariner's  wonderful  tale  ? 
It  would  seem  not.  As  in  the  case  of  the  "young  man" 
in  the  days  of  Hiawatha,  so  it  seems  to  have  been  with 
the  old  navigator  in  the  days  of  Necho. 


CLRISTMAS-LAND. 


21 


''From  his  wanderings  far  to  eastward, 
From  the  regions  of  the  morning, 
From  the  shining  land  of  Wabun, 
Homeward  now  returned  lagoo — 
The  great  traveler,  the  great  boaster, 
Full  of  new  and  strange  adventures. 
Marvels  many  and  many  wonders. 
And  the  people  of  the  village 
Listened  to  him  as  he  told  them 
Of  his  marvelous  adventures, 
Laughing,  answered  him  in  this  wise  : 
'  Ugh  !  it  is  indeed  lagoo  ! 
No  one  else  beholds  such  wonders.' 

''He  had  seen,  he  said,  a  water 
Bigger  than  the  Big-Sea-Water, 
Broader  than  the  Gitche  Gumee, 
Bitter,  so  that  none  could  drink  it ! 
At  each  other  looked  the  warriors, 
Looked  the  women  at  each  other. 
Smiled,  and  said,  'It  cannot  be  so  ! 
Kaw  !'  they  said,  '  It  cannot  be  so  V  " 

Even  the  much-traveled  Herodotus  found-  some  things 
in  the  navigators'  story  which  he  could  neither  compre- 
hend nor  credit.  Thus,  they  related  that,  in  the  course 
of  the  voyage,  while  they  were  passing  the  most  south- 
ern coast  of  Africa,  they  were  surprised  to  find  that 
tliey  had  the  sun  on  their  right  hand,  that  is,  to  the 
north  of  them.  Repeating  this  part  of  their  story,  and 
handing  it  down  for  our  perusal,  the  learned  "  father 
of  history"  adds,  "but,  for  my  part,  I  do  not  believe 
the  assertion,  though  others  may."  We  are  indebted 
to  the  historian's  doubts  for  the  notice  of  an  incident 
which  confirms  our  faith.  To  men  of  our  day,  who 
know  more  than  Herodotus  did  about  the  shape  of  the 
earth  and  its  relation  to  the  sun,  the  navigators'  "as- 
sertion" not  only  presents  no  difficulty,  but  really 


22 


ZULU-LAND. 


affords  a  strong  proof  that  tliej  made  the  voyage  as- 
cribed to  them,  and  gave  a  correct  account  of  it. 

The  sun  continued  to  run  his  daily,  yearly  course, 
nations  to  rise,  and  kings  to  reign ;  but  for  two  thou- 
sand years  after  the  days  of  Necho,  little  more  was 
known  to  the  foreigner  about  the  distant  south-land  of 
which  we  speak.  Indeed,  all  that  was  ever  known 
seems  to  have  been  forgotten.  To  all  beyond  the  pale 
of  its  own  tribes,  this  extreme  of  the  African  continent 
was  as  though  it  had  never  been. 

Discovering,  at  length,  the  mysterious  powers  of  the 
magnet,  the  mariner  was  inspired  with  courage  to  strike 
out  more  boldly  into  the  open  sea,  and  go  in  search  of 
new  lands,  or  new  routes  to  those  already  known.  In 
the  year  "J  486,  Bartholomew  Diaz  was  fitted  out  by 
the  king  of  Portugal  with  three  ships,  to  find  a  new 
way  to  the  East  Indies.  For  nearly  a  hundred  years 
the  Portuguese  had  been  gradually  extending  their  dis- 
coveries and  their  trade  along  the  western  coast  of 
Africa. 

"And  now,  stout  Diaz,  hugging  well  the  shore, 
Has  passed  each  spot  where  vessel  came  before, — 
New  lands  and  scenes  their  aching  eyes  define, 
And  on,  and  further  still,  extends  the  line." 

Diaz  succeeded  in  passing  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope, 
though  in  a  storm,  and  at  so  great  a  distance  that  he 
did  not  see  it.  Reaching  Algoa  Bay  they  were  glad  to 
set  their  feet  on  solid  earth,  and  rest  awhile.  Here  they 
made  a  wooden  cross,  and  setting  it  up,  celebrated  the 
mass.  But  on  this  African  shore  they  saw  and  heard 
nothing  of  India,  and  the  crew  were  now  bent  on  re- 
turning home.    Diaz  persuaded  them  to  go  on  three 


CHRIST  MAS-LAND. 


23 


days  longer.  This  brought  them  to  the  mouth  of  a 
river  which  they  named  Del  Infanta,  now  the  Great  Fish 
River.  But  the  people  here  could  tell  him  nothing 
about  India,  or  of  the  way  thither.  Able  to  proceed 
no  farther,  he  now  planted  a  cross  in  honor  of  St. 
Philip  and  wept  that  he  must  go  back  without  a  sight 
of  the  land  of  which  he  was  in  search. 

On  his  return,  Diaz  discovered  the  famous  Cape,  the 
southern  point  of  Africa ;  to  which,  annoyed  and  dis- 
tressed as  he  was  by  the  mutinous  spirit  of  his  crew, 
appalled  also  by  the  stormy  sky,  and  by  the  roar  and 
swell  of  the  oceans  that  meet  and  rage  there,  he  gave 
the  name  of  Cabo  Tormentoso,  or  stormy  cape ;  and 
forthwith  set  off  with  his  shattered  barks  for  Lisbon. 
But  his  sovereign,  John  II.,  took  a  more  favorable  view 
of  the  j^oint.  Hailing  the  captain's  report  as  a  prelude 
to  success, — seeing  in  it,  as  he  believed,  a  fair  prospect 
that  one  great  end  of  their  many  maritime  expeditions, 
a  grand  highway  to  the  Indies,  was  about  to  be  attained, 
— he  thought  the  place  deserving  of  a  better  name ; 
and  so  called  it  Cabo  de  Buena  Esperanza,  or  the  Cape 
of  Good  Hope. 

"  Cape  of  storms,  thy  spectre  fled, 
See,  the  angel  Hope,  instead. 
Lights  from  heaven  upon  thy  head ; 

"And  where  Table-Mountain  stands, 
Barbarous  hordes  from  desert  sands, 
Bless  the  sight  with  lifted  hands." 

Ten  years  having  elapsed,  Emanuel  the  Fortunate 
essayed  to  complete  tte  project  which  his  predecessor, 
John  II.,  had  undertaken.  The  chief  command  of  the 
royal  squadron,  which  was  fitted  out  for  this  purpose, 


24 


ZULU-LAND. 


was  entrusted  to  Yasco  de  Gama.  Keceiving  his 
charge  and  a  richly  embroidered  flag  from  the  king,  he 
set  off  from  Lisbon  for  India,  by  way  of  the  Lion  of 
the  Sea,"  as  the  Cape  which  Diaz  had  discovered 
was  sometimes  called.  This  was  in  July,  1497,  five  years 
after  the  discovery  of  America  by  Columbus.  Reach- 
ing the  vicinity  of  the  Cape,  and  meeting  most  fear- 
ful tempests,  the  sailors'  courage  failed  them,  and  they 
tried  to  induce  the  captain  to  put  back.  But  the  stout 
heart  and  fixed  purpose  of  de  Gama  were  not  to  be 
moved.  At  length,  the  sound  of  trumpets,  made 
known  that  they  had  triumphed  over  the  difiiculties 
and  dangers,  had  reached  the  Cape,  and  anchored  in  the 
Bay. 

Looking  shoreward  the  adventurous  voyagers  saw 
cattle  feeding  in  the  fields  along  the  coast.  At  a  greater 
distance,  the  eye  was  greeted  with  the  sight  of  villages; 
the  houses  of  which  were  covered  with  straw.  The 
people  are  described  as  small  of  stature,  of  a  brownish 
yellow  color,  having  an  ugly  appearance,  and  clothed 
with  the  skins  of  animals, — doubtless  the  ancestors  of 
the  Hottentot  of  the  present  day.  Sticks,  hardened  in 
the  fire,  and  pointed  with  the  horns  of  animals,  served 
them  as  weapons  of  war.  Roots  and  herbs,  antelopes 
and  pigeons,  seals  and  whales,  furnished  them  with  food. 
They  had  dogs,  and  spoke  a  language  the  sound  of 
which  was  thought  to  resemble  groaning.  In  the  gold, 
spices,  and  pearls,  which  de  Gama  showed  them,  they 
took  little  or  no  interest,  but  were  much  pleased  with 
the  little  bells  and  pewter  rings  which  he  gave  them. 

Bidding  adieu  to  the  Cape,  Yasco  de  Gama  sailed  two 
hundred  miles  eastward,  and  landed  at  San  Bias  (Mos- 


CIIRISTMAS-LAND. 


25 


sel  Bay,)  wliere  he  erected  a  pillar  bearing  the  arms  of 
Portugal,  and  a  cross.  Sailing  thence,  he  discovered 
and  christened  the  land  of  Natal,  whence  the  renowned 
navigator  bore  away  to  India,  the  object  of  his  bold 
ambition. 

By  early  navigators,  and  largely  at  the  present  day, 
the  natives  of  South  Eastern  Africa,  are  called  Kafirs, 
and  their  land  Kafirland,  or  Kafraria.  The  term  (Ka- 
fir, Caffer,  or  Caphar)  is  derived  from  the  Arabic,  and 
is  used  to  signify  an  unbeliever^  that  is,  one  who  rejects 
the  Mohammedan  faith.  Why  they  were  so  called,  how 
wide  the  application  of  the  term  at  first,  as  also  some- 
thing about  the  country  and  people,  may  be  learned 
from  the  writings  of  one  Samuel  Purchas,  an  English 
clergyman,  who  was  born  1577,  and  took  pains  to  pick 
up  and  put  on  record  all  that  was  then  known,  or  re- 
ported of  South  Africa,  as  of  other  countries  new  to 
that  age.  In  his  work,  "  The  Pilgrimage ;  or  Rela- 
tions of  the  Worldy  and  the  Religions  observed  in  all 
Ages,''  he  says  : — 

"Caphraria,  or  the  land  of  the  Caphars,  is  next  to  be 
considered,  which  Maginus  boundeth  between  Rio  de  Spi- 
rito  Sancto  and  Cape  Negro,  extending  to  the  Cape  of 
Good  Hope  southwards.  Why  hee  should  call  this  part  the 
Caphars,  I  know  not :  for  the  Arabians,  of  whom  this 
word  is  borrowed,  give  that  name  to  all  the  Heathen 
people  in  Africa :  yea,  both  the  Arabians  and  all  of 
their  religion  call  all  such  as  will  not  receive  their  su- 
perstition, Caphars,  even  Christians  also,  as  Master 
Jenkinson  long  since  told  us.  And,  for  the  Heathens 
in  Africa,  Barrius  affirmeth  that  it  is  by  the  Moores 
given  to  them  all:  signifying  without  law,  or  lawless 
3 


26 


ZULU-LAND. 


people.  Zanguebar  is  in  this  respect  called  Cafraria. 
It  should  seeme  it  is  appropriated  to  these,  the  South- 
erliest  nations  of  Africa,  from  want  of  other  the  more 
true  proper  names,  which  were  unknowne." 

"  With  the  names  of  the  capes  and  other  places  of  note, 
Master  Pory  hath  already  acquainted  his  English 
reader.  Onelj  that  notable  and  famous  Cape  of  Good 
Hope,  (so  named  by  John  the  Second,  king  of  Portugall, 
for  that  hope  which  hee  conceived  of  a  way  to  the  In- 
dies, when  it  was  first  discovered,)  deserveth  some  men- 
tion. *  *  *  The  waves  there,  saith  Linschoten,  strike 
against  a  shippe,  as  if  they  stroke  against  a  hill,  that 
if  it  were  of  stone  it  would  at  last  be  broken.  Heere 
Captaine  Lancaster  traded  with  the  people,  and  for  two 
knives  bought  an  ox :  for  one  a  sheepe,  &c.,  in  good 
quantitie.  Their  sheep  are  great,  with  great  tailes,  but 
hairy,  not  wooled.  Tlie  captaine  killed  there  an  ante- 
lope as  bigge  as  a  colt.  There  were  diuers  great  beastes 
unknowne  to  them.  *  *  * 

The  Hollanders  in  the  yeare  1595,  trafficked  with 
the  Cafres,  which  were  valiant,  but  base  in  apparell, 
covered  with  oxe  or  sheepe  skines  wrapped  about  their 
shoulders  with  the  hairy  side  inwards  in  forme  of  a  man- 
tle. But  now  we  see  it  made  a  daily  matter  to  the  Por- 
tugal, English  and  Dutch,  so  capable  of  hope  of  good, 
that  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  is  nothing  feared :  al- 
though at  home  many  have  no  good  Hope  of  publicke 
good,  and  wish  they  would  carry  out  of  Europe  less 
money  and  bring  home  more  men.  For  my  part,  I  wish 
so  well  to  Navigation  and  Discoveries,  that  I  would  wish 
such  complaints  to  be  but  calumnies,  and  to  be  the  kna- 
vigations  of  false  discoverers." 


CHRISTMAS-LAXD. 


27 


"  I  cannot  omit  that  upon  the  toppe  of  tins  Promon- 
tory, Nature  hath  as  it  were  framed  herselfe  a  delight- 
full  bower,  heere  to  sit  and  contemplate  the  great  seas, 
which  from  the  South,  West,  and  East,  beat  upon  this 
shore ;  and  therefore  hath  heere  formed  a  great  Plaine, 
pleasant  in  situation,  which  with  the  fragrant  herbes, 
varietie  of  flowers,  and  flourishing  verdure  of  all  things 
seemes  a  Terrestrial  Paradise.  It  is  called  the  table 
of  the  Cape."  *  *  * 

The  Hollanders  at  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  had  of 
the  inhabitants  two  kine  for  two  rustic  knives,  and  one 
much  greater  for  a  new  one  :  two  fat  bulls  and  three 
sheepe  for  a  bar  of  iron,  weighing  three-score  and  ten 
pounds.  The  people  make  much  account  of  iron  :  they 
are  of  short  stature  :  darkish  colour  :  their  armes  are 
adorned  w^th  copper  and  ivory,  their  fingers  with  rings 
of  gold,  and  with  beads  of  bone  and  wood.  They  brand 
their  bodies  with  divers  markes.  And  because  they 
allways  annoint  themselves  with  grease  and  fat,  they 
yeeld  a  ranke  smell.  At  their  feasts  they  would  seeth 
a  Beast  in  his  hide,  fastened  on  four  sticks  with  fire 
underneath.  They  lived  miserably,  yet  for  gallantry 
wore  bones  and  pieces  of  dried  flesh  about  their  neckes." 

To  the  celebrated  English  navigator,  Dampier,  we 
are  indebted  for  a  very  full  and  interesting  notice  of 
this  country  and  its  inhabitants  as  seen  by  Captain 
Rogers,  Dampier's  friend,  about  the  year  1684,  or 
nearly  two  centuries  ago,  with  a  few  abridged  extracts 
from  which  we  bring  this  chapter  to  a  close. 

"The  country  of  Natal,"  says  Dampier,  "lies  open 
to  the  Indian  sea  on  the  east,  but  how  far  back  it  runs 
%o  the  westward  is  not  yet  known.    That  part  of  the 


28 


ZULU-LAXD. 


country  Tvliich  respects  the  sea  is  plain,  champaign,  and 
woody;  but  within  land  it  appears  more  uneven,  by 
reason  of  many  hills,  which  rise  in  unequal  heights 
above  each  other.  Yet  it  is  interlaced  with  pleasant 
valleys  and  large  plains,  and  it  is  checkered  with  natu- 
ral groves  and  savannahs.  Neither  is  there  any  want 
of  water,  for  every  hill  affords  little  brooks,  which  glide 
down  several  ways ;  some  of  which,  after  several  turn- 
ings and  windings,  meet  by  degrees,  and  make  up  the 
river  of  Natal,  which  dischargeth  itself  into  the  East 
Indian  ocean,  in  lat.  30°  south.  There  it  opens  pretty 
wide,  and  is  deep  enough  for  small  vessels.  But  at  the 
mouth  of  the  river  [Bay]  is  a  bar,  which  has  not  above 
ten  or  eleven  feet  of  water  on  it  in  a  spring  tide,  though 
within  there  is  water  enough.  This  river  is  the  prin- 
cipal of  the  country  of  Natal,  and  has  been  lately  (1684) 
frequented  by  some  of  our  English  ships,  particularly 
by  a  small  vessel  that  Captain  Rogers  commanded." 

"  The  land  animals  of  this  country  are  lions,  tigers, 
elephants,  buffaloes,  bullocks,  deer,  hogs,  cows,  &c. 
Here  are  also  abundance  of  sea-horses.  Buffaloes  and 
bullocks  only  are  kept  tame,  but  the  rest  are  wild.  Ele- 
phants are  so  plentiful  here  that  they  feed  together  in 
great  troops,  one  hundred  or  one  hundred  and  fifty  in 
company.  Mornings  and  evenings  they  are  seen  graz- 
ing in  the  savannahs,  but  in  the  heat  of  the  day  they 
retire  to  the  woods  ;  and  they  are  very  peaceable  if  not 
molested.  Deer  are  very  numerous  here  also.  They 
feed  quietly  in  the  savannahs,  among  the  tame  cattle, 
for  they  are  seldom  disturbed  by  the  natives.  Here 
are  fowls  of  divers  sorts  ;  some  such  as  we  have  in  Eng- 
land, viz. — duck  and  teal,  both  tame  and  wild,  and 


CHRISTMAS-LAND 


29 


plenty  of  cocks  and  hens ;  besides  abundance  of  wild 
birds  wholly  unknown  to  us.  Here  are  a  sort  of  large 
fowls,  as  big  as  a  peacock,  which  have  very  fine  colored 
feathers.  They  are  very  rare  and  shy.  There  are 
others  like  curlews,  but  bigger.  The  flesh  of  these  is 
black,  yet  sweet  and  wholesome  meat." 

^'  The  natives  of  this  country  are  but  of  middle  sta- 
ture, yet  have  very  good  limbs ;  the  color  of  their  skin 
is  black,  their  hair  crisped  ;  they  are  oval  visaged,  their 
noses  neither  flat  nor  high,  but  very  well  proportioned  ; 
their  teeth  are  white ;  and  their  aspect  altogether  grace- 
ful. They  are  nimble  people,  but  very  lazy,  which 
probably  is  for  want  of  commerce.  Their  chief  em- 
ployment is  husbandry.  They  have  a  great  many  bulls 
and  cows,  which  they  carefully  look  after ;  for  every 
man  knows  his  own,  though  they  run  all  promiscuously 
together  in  the  savannahs ;  yet  they  have  pens  near 
their  own  houses,  where  they  make  them  gentle  and 
bring  them  to  the  pail.  They  have  guinea  corn,  which 
is  their  bread ;  and  a  small  sort  of  grain,  no  bigger  than 
a  mustard  seed,  with  which  they  make  their  drink.  The 
common  subsistence  of  this  people  is  bread  made  of 
guinea  corn,  beer,  fish,  milk,  ducks,  hens,  eggs,  &c. 
They  also  drink  milk  often  to  quench  their  thirst,  and 
this  sometimes  when  it  is  sweet,  but  commonly  they  let 
it  get  sour  first.  Besides  milk,  which  is  the  common 
drink,  they  make  a  sort  of  beer  from  the  guinea  corn, 
purposely  to  be  merry  with  ;  and  when  they  meet  on 
such  occaidons,  the  men  make  themselves  extraordinary 
fine,  with  feathers  stuck  in  their  cap  very  thick.  They 
make  use  of  the  long  feathers  of  cocks'  tails,  and 
none  else. 
3  * 


30 


ZULU-LAND. 


"  Here  are  no  arts  or  trades  professed  hj  them,  but 
every  one  makes  for  himself  such  necessaries  as  they 
need  or  ornament  requires ;  the  men  keeping  to  their 
employment,  and  the  women  to  theirs.  The  men  build 
houses,  hunt,  plant,  and  do  what  is  to  be  done  abroad ; 
and  the  women  milk  the  cows,  dress  the  victuals,  kc, 
and  manage  all  matters  within  doors.  [If  Rogers  or 
Dampier  be  correct  in  what  he  says  here  about  "  plant- 
ing" and  "milking,"  these  labors  have  certainly  changed 
hands  since  that  day,  as  I  may  show  at  another  time.] 
Their  houses  are  not  great  or  richly  furnished,  but 
they  are  made  close  and  well  thatched,  that  neither 
winds  nor  weather  can  hurt  them.  They  wear  but  few 
clothes,  and  these  extraordinary  mean.  The  men  go 
in  a  manner  naked,  their  only  garb  being  a  small  piece 
of  cloth,  made  with  silk  grass  or  moho  rind,  and  wrought 
in  form  of  a  small  apron.  At  the  upper  corners  it  has 
two  straps  to  tie  round  their  waists,  and  the  lower  end 
being  finely  fringed  with  the  same,  hangs  down  to  their 
knees.  The  women  have  only  short  petticoats,  which 
reach  from  the  waist  to  the  knee.  When  it  rains  they 
cover  their  bodies  with  a  simple  cow's  hide  thrown  over 
their  shoulders  like  a  blanket. 

"Every  man  may  have  as  many  wives  as  he  can  pur- 
chase and  maintain  ;  and  without  buying  there  are  none 
to  be  had ;  neither  is  there  any  other  commodity  to  be 
bought  or  sold  but  women.  Young  virgins  are  disposed  of 
by  their  fathers,  brothers,  or  other  nearest  male  relations. 
The  price  is  according  to  the  beauty  of  the  damsel. 
They  have  no  money  in  this  country,  but  give  cows  in 
exchange  for  wives  ;  and  therefore  he  is  the  richest  man 
that  has  most  daughters  or  sisters,  as  he  is  sure  to  get 


CHRISTMAS-LAND. 


31 


cattle  enough.  Thej  make  merry  when  they  take  their 
wives ;  but  the  bride  cries  all  her  wedding-day.  They 
live  together  in  small  villages,  and  the  oldest  man  go- 
verns the  rest ;  for  all  that  live  together  in  one  village 
are  a-kin,  and  therefore  willingly  submit  to  his  govern- 
ment. They  are  very  just  and  extraordinarily  civil  to 
strangers.  This  was  remarkably  experienced  by  two 
English  seamen  that  lived  among  them  five  years : 
their  ship  was  cast  away  on  the  coast,  and  the  rest  of 
their  consorts  marched  to  the  river  of  Delasor ;  but 
they  staid  here  till  Captain  Rogers  came  hither  and 
took  them  away  with  him;  they  had  gained  the  language 
of  the  country  ;  and  the  natives  freely  gave  them  wives 
and  cows  too.  They  were  beloved  by  all  the  people, 
and  so  much  reverenced,  that  their  words  were  taken  as 
laws.  And  when  they  came  away,  many  of  the  boys 
cried  because  they  would  not  take  them  with  them." 


32 


ZULU-LAND. 


CHAPTER  III. 

POSITION  AND  GEOGRAPHICAL  FEATURES  OF  NATAL. 

A  LOOK  at  the  map  will  show  the  District  of  Natal  to 
be  situated  in  the  south-eastern  border  of  Africa,  on 
that  part  of  the  Indian  Ocean  which  lies  chiefly  be- 
tween the  29th  and  31st  parallels  of  latitude,  being 
walled  off  from  the  interior  regions  by  the  Drakensberg, 
or  Kwahlamba  Mountains.  To  the  north-east,  and  be- 
yond the  Tugela  River,  is  the  district  commonly  called 
Zulu-land,  stretching  away  to  the  Portuguese  settlement 
at  Delagoa  Bay.  On  the  west  we  have  the  Swazi  tribes 
and  Dutch  Boers  in  the  Orange  River  Free  State.  The 
Umzimkulu  River  has  heretofore  separated  Natal  from 
Kafraria  on  the  south-west ;  but  the  prospect  is  that 
the  limits  of  the  Natal  Colony  may  be  pushed  on  soon 
to  the  Umzimvubu.  Nor  is  it  at  all  unlikely  that  the 
whole  of  Kafirland  may  soon  be  subject  to  British  rule. 

The  land  is  pre-eminent  for  the  beauty  of  its  land- 
scapes, the  fertility  of  its  soil,  and  the  healthiness  of 
its  climate.  My  delight  in  looking  at  the  scenery  of 
South  Africa  commenced  with  my  first  sight  of  it  from 
the  sea,  and  increased  with  acquaintance.  The  moun- 
tains are  rather  tabular  than  conical  in  shape  ;  and  when 
viewed  from  the  sea,  they  rise,  table  above  table,  as  they 


GEOGrwlPIIICAL  FEATURES. 


33 


recede  in  the  distance,  having  their  summits  and  sides, 
with  the  intervening  plains,  covered  with  verdant  groves, 
thick  shrubbery,  or  wide  fields  of  green  grass.  Add 
to  this,  that  the  whole  picture  is  diversified  with  here 
and  there  a  river,  or  a  dark  and  deep  ravine,  with  fields 
of  Indian  corn,  or  gardens  of  indigenous  grain  and 
fruit,  and  the  reader  will  agree  with  me  that  it  may  well 
excite  the  most  pleasing  emotions  in  the  lover  of  nature. 
The  Christian's  heart  it  inspires  vfith  the  prayer  that  a 
new  moral  creation  may  be  efi*ected  among  the  inhabi- 
tants, with  which,  for  beauty  and  glory,  even  "the  for- 
mer shall  not  be  remembered  nor  come  into  mind." 

To  one  accustomed  to  think  of  new  lands  as  abound- 
ing in  forests  of  tall  trees,  it  will  seem  strange,  for  a 
time,  that  none  of  these  things  are  to  be  seen  in  Natal. 
Knowing,  as  I  did  on  my  arrival  that  there  were  very 
few  whites  in  Natal,  and  that  those  few  had  been  there 
a  short  time,  to  me  it  seemed  a  marked  feature  of  the 
country  that  a  large  portion  of  it  had  the  appearance 
of  being  "cleared,"  as  an  American  would  say,  and 
prepared  for  tillage,  mowing,  and  pasturage.  Along 
the  coast,  these  open,  unfenced,  grassy  fields,  with  here 
and  there  a  mimosa  or  other  bushy  tree,  give  you  the 
idea  of  so  many  large,  irregular,  half-neglected  or- 
chards. 

Hillocks  covered  with  bushes,  ravines  filled  with 
groves,  rivers  and  rivulets  skirted  with  evergreen  trees 
of  a  goodly  size  and  quality,  I  have  often  seen  in  Na- 
tal ;  but  nothing  that  could  be  called  a  forest,  nor  even 
a  large  tree,  in  the  American  sense  of  these  terms.  In 
some  parts  of  the  country,  I  have  traveled  all  day,  and 
not  seen  ^recn,  growing  wood  enough  to  make  a  whip 


3-i 


ZULr-LAXD. 


Stick,  nor  enough  of  tlie  dry  to  ''cook  the  kettle," 
and  yet  the  Tvhole  country  wouki  be  covered  with  the 
most  luxuriant  grass.  This  grass,  dry  and  parched 
as  it  must  become  in  the  winter  season,  is  sure  to  be 
burnt  off,  and  with  it  every  little  twig  of  a  tree  that 
would  grow  there ;  thus  the  soil  is  impoverished,  and 
parched  by  the  sun  and  wind ;  and  forests  and  large 
trees  are  few  and  far  between. 

The  terraced  character  of  this  country  is  a  fea- 
ture which  strikes  the  attention  at  once.  From  the 
sea-coast  to  the  foot  of  the  Kwahlamba  range,  we 
have  a  curious  succession  of  steppes,  or  tiers  of  table- 
land. 

Beginning  with  the  coast,  we  have  a  most  beautifully 
variegated  ribbon  of  country,  ten  or  fifteen  miles  wide. 
This  lies  but  little  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  and  forms 
a  kind  of  mosaic  ground-floor  for  the  rest.  Then,  ris- 
ing a  thousand  feet,  we  find  another  strip  of  table-land, 
of  about  the  same  width.  Passing  this,  we  ascend  an- 
other step  of  a  thousand  feet,  and  come  to  what  is 
termed  the  central  or  midland  terrace.  This  is  broader 
than  the  one  below,  being  about  twenty  miles  wide. 
We  have  now  begun  to  traverse  a  region  whose  broad, 
open,  undulating  fields  could  hardly  fail  to  remind  you 
of  some  of  Bryant's  beautiful  lines  : — 

''  These  are  the  gardens  of  the  desert,  these 
The  unshorn  fields,  boundless  and  beautiful, 
For  which  the  speech  of  England  has  no  name — 
The  prairies.    I  behold  them  for  the  first. 
And  my  heart  swells,  while  the  dilated  sight 
Takes  in  the  encircling  vastness.    Lo  !  they  stretch 
In  airy  undulations,  far  away, 
As  if  the  ocean,  in  his  gcutlcst  swell, 


GEOGRAPHICAL  FEATURES. 


35 


Stood  still,  Tvith  all  his  rounded  billows  fixed, 
And  motionless  for  ever." 

Having  advanced  fifty  miles  from  the  sea,  we  come 
to  still  another  terrace,  which,  with  an  elevation  of  three 
or  four  thousand  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  stretches 
away  for  fifty  or  a  hundred  miles  to  the  zig-zag  range 
called  by  the  Dutch  the  "Drakensberg,"  or  Dragon's 
Mountain.  This  magnificent  rocj^y  range,  boldly  sloped 
and  buttressed  at  the  base,  then  beautifully  built  up, — 
like  the  steep  sides  of  all  our  great  Table  mountains, — 
in  pillars  and  walls  of  bare  rock,  with  a  perpendicular 
face  of  several  hundred  feet,  forms  a  limit  to  the  colony 
in  that  direction ;  while  it  also  gives  you  another  step 
of  some  two  thousand  feet,  counting  from  the  base  to 
the  summit.  Having  now  raised  you  six  thousand  feet 
above  the  sea,  it  opens  still  another  terrace,  which 
stretches  ofi*  in  its  turn  towards  the  interior  of  the  con- 
tinent. 

But  let  it  not  be  supposed  that  these  terraces  are  laid 
out  with  regularity,  or  that  they  present  each  a  smooth, 
unbroken  surface;  as  an  English  writer  (Dr.  Mann) 
well  observes: — ''Nature  does  not  work  like  the  mason 
because  her  object  is  an  altogether  different  one.  The 
traveler  who  climbs  these  steps  can  hardly  make  out 
the  facts  of  their  general  plan  by  the  eye-glance.  He 
has  to  deduce  the  notion  from  a  series  of  iso- 
lated positions  and  reflections.  The  land  has  been  dis- 
turbed again  and  again,  and  the  terraced  steps  have 
been  heaved  this  way  and  that ;  they  are  consequently 
now  battered  and  bent,  traversed  by  cracks  and  notched 
by  deep  gorges  through  which  the  insinuating  water 
finds  its  way,  carving  rugged  channels  for  itself  among 


36 


ZULU-LAND. 


the  fragments  of  rock,  and  ever  and  anon  making  some 
bold  leap  to  gain  the  lower  level.  Water-falls  in  Na- 
tal are  almost  as  plentiful  as  blackberries.  Even  where 
the  streams  hold  the  more  quiet  tenor  of  their  way  across 
the  floor  of  the  steppes,  they  flow  with  great  force  and 
rapidity,  surging  along  stony  ground  through  a  wilder- 
ness of  half-worn  boulders." 

The  sides  of  the  ravines,  or  '  kloofs'  (clefts)  as  they 
are  provincially  termed,  are  for  the  most  part  clothed 
with  dense  masses  of  foliage,  from  the  midst  of  which 
lofty  evergreens  rear  their  heads.  The  edges  of  the 
terraces  are  also  more  or  less  lipped,  or  turned  up  ;  the 
ascending  traveler  goes  down  into  shallow  valleys  after 
he  has  mounted  steep  hills.  The  more  open  slopes  are 
invariably  covered  by  a  coarse  pasture,  and  here  and 
there  are  dotted  over  by  dwarf  flat-topped  bushes  of  the 
thorny  mimosa.  This  pasture,  in  the  early  spring  is 
emerald  green,  and  variegated  by  the  white  and  gaily 
colored  blossoms  of  the  aloes,  amaryllids,  and  other  bul- 
bous plants.  In  the  autumn  the  hill-sides  and  valleys 
are  russet  brown,  and  in  places  look  almost  like  English 
corn-fields  at  the  approach  of  harvest,  in  consequence 
of  the  abundant  crops  which  they  bear  of  the  tall  tam- 
boti  grass, — the  staple  resource  of  the  thatcher.  In 
the  dry  months  of  winter,  they  are  hieroglyphiced  at 
night  by  the  flame-characters  of  the  fires  which  are  con- 
tinually set  going  at  that  season  to  do  the  work  of  the 
scythe  in  the  removal  of  the  coarse  growth ;  and  by 
day  they  are  mottled  with  the  resulting  sable,  which 
adds  to,  rather  than  detracts  from  the  picturesqueness 
of  the  scenery,  by  the  ever-varying  diversity  of  its 
shades  and  tints." 


GEOGRAPHICAL  FEATURES. 


3T 


"  Then  fly  to  the  prairie !  in  wonder  there  gaze, 
As  sweeps  o'er  the  grass  the  magnificent  blaze, 
The  land  is  o'erwhelm'd  in  an  ocean  of  light. 
Whose  flame-surges  break  in  the  breeze  of  the  night." 

As  aridity  characterizes  so  large  a  part  of  South 
Africa,  the  goodly  number  of  fountains,  rivulets,  and 
rivers,  with  which  Natal  abounds,  is  a  noticeable  fea- 
ture. 

Journeying  along  its  hundred  and  fifty  miles  of  coast 
between  the  Tugela  and  Umzimkulu,  you  cross  more 
than  twenty  streams  which  pour  themselves  into  the  sea. 
The  two  just  named,  together  with  the  Umkomazi,  have 
their  sources  in  the  Kwahlamba  Mountains.  The  Um- 
voti,  Umgeni,  and  Umlazi  take  their  rise  in  the  upland 
terrace.  The  rest  are  short.  Yet  both  the  short  and 
the  long,  the  small  and  great,  are  often  swollen,  some- 
times suddenly,  to  a  fearful  height.  At  the  time  of  the 
flood  four  years  ago,  when  twenty-seven  inches  of  rain 
fell  at  Durban  in  three  days,  the  Umgeni  rose,  near  its 
mouth,  to  the  height  of  twenty-eight  feet  above  its  usual 
level ;  the  Umtongati  rose  thirty  feet ;  and  many  other 
streams  in  like  manner.  It  should  be  remarked,  how- 
ever, that  ordinarily  in  the  winter  season,  that  is,  from 
April  to  September,  even  the  largest  of  the  Natal 
rivers  may  be  forded  without  difficulty  on  horseback. 
Of  course,  from  streams  like  these,  so  rapid  and  varia- 
ble, navigation  can  have  little  or  nothing  to  expect ;  not 
so  with  salubrity,  pasturage,  agriculture.  But  to  discuss 
the  value  of  one  or  tw^o  large  sluggish  streams  as  a 
means  of  transport,  in  a  land  like  this,  as  compared  with 
the  numberless  precious  blessings  which  are  poured  forth 
daily  for  man  and  beast  in  the  many  springs,  rivulets, 
4 


88 


ZULU-LAND. 


and  rivers,  wliich  burst  from  under  every  hill,  and  go 
sparkling,  leaping,  purling,  each  its  own  way,  from  the  - 
mountain  to  the  sea,  would  be  foreign  to  my  present 
purpose.    All  have  their  time  and  place,  their  uses,  and 
their  beauties. 


SEASONS  AND  CLIMATE. 


39 


CHAPTER  IV. 

THE  SEASONS  AND  CLIMATE — THE  NOCTURNAL  HEAVENS. 

Coming  from  a  land  of  civilization,  and  from  a  cold, 
northern  climate,  new  things  are  seen  in  this  far-off  land, 
and  old  things  in  a  new  light.  You  find  men,  animals, 
trees,  flowers,  grasses,  differing  from  those  of  the  coun- 
try you  have  left,  and  see  stars  which  are  not  to  be  seen 
in  your  northern  home.  You  have  the  same  sun,  but 
on  the  north  side  of  you,  and  more  vertical  than  there. 

With  this  change  of  our  position  in  relation  to  the 
sun,  having  it  on  the  north  at  noon,  there  comes,  of 
course,  a  change  in  all  the  seasons,  the  South  African 
winter  coming  in  June,  July,  and  August.  But  a  win- 
ter in  Natal  is  not  the  same  cold,  sharp,  shivery  season 
which  goes  by  that  name  in  New  England.  Thus,  while 
I  write,  at  midday,  the  thermometer  stands  at  68°  in 
the  shade, — just  a  pleasant  temperature  without  any 
fire;  and  yet  the  season  corresponds  to  the  northern 
Christmas. 

The  seasons  in  Natal,  especially  upon  the  coast,  are 
by  no  means  well  defined.  The  face  of  the  country  is 
not  more  diversified  and  peculiar  than  is  its  climate. 
Now  and  then,  in  mid- winter,  we  have  a  day  as  warm 
as  those  of  summer ;  and  then,  in  summer,  one  as  cold  as 


40 


ZULU-LAXD. 


some  in  winter.  Nay  more,  we  sometimes  have  a  single 
day,  the  first  half  extremely  hot,  the  last,  cold  and 
chilly, — the  thermometer  falling  ten  or  fifteen  degrees 
in  an  hour,  and  occasionally  tliirty  or  forty  degrees  in 
half  a  day.  Of  course  such  extreme  and  sudden 
changes  are  not  very  frequent.  They  usually  occur 
once  or  twice  a  month  in  August  and  September,  and 
occasionally  at  other  seasons  of  the  year  when  the  hot, 
house-burning"  wind,  as  the  natives  call  it,  blows  for  a 
day  or  two  from  the  north,  and  then,  as  in  a  moment, 
a  cold,  chilly  current  comes  driving  up  from  the  south- 
west, bringing  dark  clouds  and  torrents  of  rain,  if  not 
the  roar  and  flash  of  thunder  and  lightning  with  it. 

On  one  occasion,  in  the  latter  part  of  September, 
thinking  the  morning  unusually  cold,  I  looked  at  the 
thermometer  and  found  it  standing  at  47° ;  two  or  three 
days  after,  looking  again  at  the  thermometer  at  mid- 
day, I  found  it  102°  (in  the  shade.)  The  wind  now 
changing  to  the  west,  the  mercury  fell  half  a  degree  a 
minute  for  twenty  minutes  in  succession,  or  ten  degrees 
in  twenty  minutes,  and  continued  to  fall  until,  in  thirty- 
six  hours,  it  was  ranging  from  50°  to  55°,  with  a  cold 
driving  rain. 

Such  sudden  changes  are,  of  course,  exceedingly  try- 
ing to  the  health.  The  real  amount  of  cold  however,  is 
not  great.  At  my  station,  fifteen  miles  from  the  sea 
coast,  and  thirty  miles  north  of  Port  Natal,  in  the  course 
of  a  dozen  years  I  have  seen  frost  a  few  times  in  the 
valleys,  though  scarcely  more  than  once  a  year  on  the 
hillock  on  which  my  house  stands  ;  and  such  a  thing  as 
snow  or  ice  is  quite  unknown  in  all  this  section  of  the 
country.    But  if  you  go  fifty  miles  inland,  you  may 


SEASONS  AND  CLIMATE. 


41 


meet  with  both,  every  year,  tlioiigh  not  in  any  consider- 
able quantity,  until  you  come  to  the  Kwahlamba,  or 
Drakensberg  mountain.  The  mean  temperature  for  the 
summer  months,  that  is,  from  the  beginning  of  October 
to  the  end  of  March,  is  about  73°  at  Durban  (the  sea- 
port town,)  and  about  70°  at  Maritzburg,  the  capital 
of  the  colony.  During  the  winter  months,  the  average 
is  about  64°  at  Durban,  and  60°  at  the  capital.  At 
my  station,  the  mercury  ranges,  during  the  year,  in  the 
shade,  from  50°  to  100°,  with  an  occasional  excess  of 
two  or  three  degrees  on  each  extreme.  Yet,  for  seve- 
ral years  in  succession  we  have  gone  without  a  fire,  ex- 
cept for  cooking,  and  in  a  room  detached  from  the 
dwelling-house. 

The  heat  of  summer  would  be  far  more  oppressive 
were  it  not  the  cloudy,  rainy  season  ;  and  the  cold  of 
winter  more  severe  but  for  the  fact  that  it  is  the  dry, 
sunny  season.  We  have  little  or  no  rain  from  May  to 
August,  and  then  enough  during  the  summer  season  to 
make  it  all  up.  The  entire  rain-fall  for  the  year  is 
about  three  feet,  of  which  about  thirty  inches  usually 
fall  during  the  six  summer  months. 

The  prevailing  wind  in  winter  is  from  the  west 
or  north-west,  morning  and  evening ;  and  from  the 
west,  south,  or  more  commonly  from  the  south-east, 
during  the  middle  of  the  day.  The  prevailing  winds 
for  the  summer  seasor  are  north-east  and  south-west ; 
bringing  fair  weather  from  the  one  quarter  and  foul 
from  the  other. 

The  hot  north-wind  common  in  the  early  part  of 
spring  is  powerful,  parching  and  peculiar.  It  is  a 
wide,  sweeping  wave  of  heated   air,  moving  south- 

4-:.- 


42 


ZULU-.  AND. 


ward,  from  the  burning  plains  of  the  interior,  and 
hugging  the  earth  as  it  goes,  and  blowing  hard,  harder^ 
HARDEST,  for  from  six  to  thirty-six  hours ;  heat- 
ing the  earth,  withering  plants,  warping  timber,  and 
testing  alike  the  joints  of  tubs  and  tables,  ploughs  and 
pianos,  until  finally,  its  blow  is  all  blown  out.  Then 
comes  a  cold  west  wind,  dark  clouds,  thunder,  lightning, 
and  rain.  And  now  no  wonder  that  the  careless  take 
cold ;  that  poor,  unprotected  cattle  die ;  that  everything 
which  is  made  of  wood  and  exposed  to  the  weather, — 
saturated  with  water, — goes  rapidly  to  ruin. 

Hail-storms  are  not  uncommon  in  Natal,  though  nei- 
ther so  frequent  nor  so  heavy  along  the  coast  as  in  the 
upper  parts  of  the  district.  The  Uzwati^  or  Noodsberg, 
— that  cold,  elevated  region  where  the  Umhloti  and 
three  or  four  more  rivers  have  their  source, — surrounded 
as  it  is  by  deep,  hot  valleys  on  the  east,  south,  and  west, 
is  a  region  specially  favored  by  these  storms. 

The  Kwahlamba  is  another.  The  manner  in  which 
jagged  masses  of  ice,  as  large  as  your  fist  or  bigger,  are 
sometimes  begotten  and  sent  down  from  the  skies  of 
that  region,  hurled  and  dashed  perchance  with  the  fury 
of  a  tornado  against  the  old,  gray  buttresses  and  tow- 
ering walls  of  that  everlasting  range,  till  all  the  sides 
of  the  mountain,  from  the  crest  downwards,  seem  a  per- 
fect cataract,  roaring,  raging,  and  foaming,  as  though 
the  Atlantic  had  broken  its  bonds  and  begun  to  pour 
itself  down  from  the  upland  table,  must  be  counted 
one  of  the  most  sublime  exhibitions  of  nature.  Nor 
seen  aright,  can  such  things  fail  to  give  us  new,  yet 
more  exalted  views  of  the  glory,  might,  and  majesty 
of  Him — 


SEASONS  AND  CLIMATE. 


43 


"Who  covereth  himself  with  light  as  with  a  garment: 
Who  stretcheth  out  the  heavens  like  a  curtain  : 
Who  layeth  the  beams  of  his  chambers  in  the  waters : 
Who  maketh  the  clouds  his  chariot: 
Who  walketh  upon  the  wings  of  the  wind : 
Who  maketh  his  angels  spirits  ; 
His  ministers  a  flame  of  fire  : 
Who  laid  the  foundations  of  the  earth, 
That  it  should  not  be  removed  for  ever. 
He  giveth  snow  like  wool  : 
He  scattereth  the  hoarfrost  like  ashes. 
He  casteth  forth  his  ice  like  morsels: 
Who  can  stand  before  his  cold? 
Praise  the  Lord  from  the  earth, 
Ye  dragons  and  all  deeps  : 
Fire  and  hail,  snow  and  vapors; 
Stormy  winds  fulfilling  his  word ; 
Mountains  and  all  hills  : — ■ 
Let  them  praise  the  name  of  the  Lord : 
For  his  name  alone  is  excellent; 
His  glory  is  above  the  earth  and  heaven." 

Not  less  grand  and  more  solemn  and  fearful  is  the 
thunder-storm  of  our  Zulu-land.  Let  it  begin  far  away  in 
the  west,  and  thence  come  on,  in  its  own  dark  liver with 
swelling  power.  The  bursting  peals  wax  louder  and  more 
frequent ;  perchance  each  fresh  peal  breaking  in  upon 
its  forerunner,  prolonging  and  increasing  the  reverbera- 
tion, till  you  have  one  continuous  roar,  lasting  for  half 
an  hour  or  more.  Magnificent  clouds  roll  up,  mean- 
time, one  upon  another,  until  they  reach  and  fill  the 
vault  of  heaven,  the  very  olackness  and  darkness  of 
which  helps  to  set  ofi"  the  brilliancy  of  the  lightning  with 
which,  ever  and  anon,  they  are  traversed  or  set  all 
aglow.  Behold  this,  and  you  have  something  to  aid 
your  conceptions  of  the  littleness  of  man,  to  set  forth 
the  sovereign  might  and  glory  of  Him  in  whose  hands 
is  the  breath  of  our  nostrils. 


44 


ZULU-LAND. 


During  the  progress  of  the  storm,"  as  Dr.  Mann  has 
carefully  observed  and  well  remarked,  "  the  mercury  of  the 
barometer  rises.  The  wind  is  generally  from  the  north 
or  west  before  the  storm,  and  then  becomes  south-east 
during  its  continuance,  and  begins  to  blow  with  consi- 
derable violence.  The  air  is  not  generally  very  moist  at 
the  time  of  the  storm  ;  the  hygrometer  for  the  most  part 
indicates  between  seventy  and  eighty  degrees  of  mois- 
ture, the  point  of  saturation  being  taken  at  one  hundred 
degrees.  The  lightning  is  extremely  vivid,  and  the 
track  of  the  discharge  appears  against  the  dark  cloud 
as  a  ribbon  of  light,  rather  than  as  a  mathematical 
line.  This  track  is  also  commonly  seen  to  quiver,  as  if 
it  were  a  successive  or  interrupted  stream  of  discharges, 
and  to  endure  in  the  sky  while  the  observer  counts  two 
or  three.  The  forms  are  of  astonishing  diversity. 
Sometimes  it  is  curved,  S  shaped,  or  hooked.  Very 
often  it  is  a  zig-zag  line  darting  down  from  the  centre 
of  a  broad  paraboloid  bow.  Occasionally  there  are 
quivering  rays  starting  out  from  a  centre  like  the  lines 
of  fracture  when  glass  is  starred.  Now  and  then  a  com- 
plete coronal  or  garland  is  traced  on  the  dark  gray  field, 
and  lines  of  horizontal  discharge  may  be  seen  ranging 
to  and  fro  immediately  above  the  flat  masses  of  the 
table-mountains.  The  color,  too,  of  the  electric  track 
is  as  varied  as  the  form.  Now  the  light  is  of  a  bright 
rose  color  ;  now  it  is  the, delicate  pink  hue  of  the  topaz  ; 
now  of  a  light  amethyst  tint ;  now  orange ;  now  pale 
blue  ;  now  pearly  blue  white ;  and  now  of  a  remarkable 
dead  leaden  tinge.  It  is  quite  impossible  that  any 
adequate  conception  of  the  gem-like  lustre  and  beauty 
of  tlicse  subtropical  lightnings  should  be  given  by  mere 


SEASONS  AND  CLIMATE. 


45 


description.  They  must  be  seen  before  a  notion  of  tlieir 
character  can  be  realized.  To  those,  however,  who  have 
contemplated  them,  it  becomes  a  much  easier  thing  to 
believe  that  modern  science  is  right  in  considering  light- 
ning to  be  fire  fed  by  mineral  and  metallic  substances 
found  by  the  electric  agency  diffused  in  the  air.  These 
bright-hued  lightnings  bear  a  very  obvious  resemblance 
to  the  colored  lights  which  are  observed  when  the  dif- 
ferent metals  are  burned  in  intense  flame." 

To  the  admirer  of  the  starry  heavens  it  is  a  source 
of  regret  that  its  beautiful  winter  nights  are  so  often 
clouded  by  smoke.  For  about  six  months,  at  this 
season  of  the  year,  the  nights  are  generally  cloudless ; 
but  by  reason  of  the  smoke  which  comes  from 
burning  grass,  the  beauty  of  the  heavens  is  greatly 
marred.  Since  the  summer  abounds  in  clouds,  the 
enthusiastic  South  African  star-gazer  is  often  sorely 
baffled.  During  this  season  a  good  star-gazing  night 
once  a  week  is  all  he  can  expect.  But  when  such  a 
night  does  come  it  is  prized.  The  rains  ceasing,  the 
clouds  dispersing,  you  have  a  brilliancy  and  magnifi- 
cence in  the  nocturnal  heavens  which  makes  ample 
amends  for  a  patient  waiting. 

Directing  the  eye  towards  the  zenith,  you  find  the 
entire  surface  of  the  otherwise  dark  vault,  thickly 
studded  with  silver  points,  sprinkled  broadcast  over  the 
vast  expanse.  "  The  countless  sixth-class  stars,  of 
which,"  according  to  the  testimony  of  Dr.  Mann,  "even 
faint  glimpses  can  but  rarely  be  caught  in  England,  are 
perfectly  within  the  range  of  distinct  vision,  and  are 
seen  crowding  up  the  spaces  which  lie  between  the  more 
obtrusive  twinklers.    It  is  quite  true,  that  as  a  whole, 


46 


ZULU-LAND. 


the  heavens  of  the  southern  hemisphere  do  not  present 
so  many  large  and  bright  stars  as  the  skies  of  the  north. 
The  brilliant  luminaries  of  the  Great  Bear,  Cassiopeia, 
Perseus  Auriga,  and  the  immediate  attendants  of  the 
Pole-star  are  missed  for  themselves  as  well  as  for  their 
associations.  But  these  southern  vistas  of  far  space 
have  on  the  other  hand  compensatory  glories  and  graces 
of  their  own.  When  the  Scorpion  looks  down  from  a 
high  altitude  in  the  black  field,  with  its  venomous  red 
eye,  and  its  star-barbed  tail  scrolled  over  its  back,  a 
stream  of  clear  light  sets  from  the  scattered  twinklers 
of  Sagittarius  across  the  reptile's  tail,  and  then  flows  on 
past  the  truly  magnificent  pair  of  Centaurus,  and  past 
the  kite-like  rhomb  of  the  so-called  Cross,  until  it  only 
fades  in  the  far  horizon  among  the  gleaming  points  of 
Argo.  On  the  one  side,  this  phosphorescent  track  is 
ornamented,  as  if  by  a  glittering  gem-set  pendant,  by 
the  broadcast  cluster  of  third  class  stars,  which  is  known 
as  the  Wolf.  On  the  other  side  it  is  ornamented  by  the 
delicate  garland-like  tracing  of  the  southern  crown. 
There  is  nothing  in  the  northern  hemisphere  which  can 
compare  with  this  southern  sweep  of  the  galaxy ;  in 
places  it  blazes  up  into  all  but  distinguishable  star-clus- 
ters, and  in  others  it  is  rent  by  fissures  and  gaps  of  ab- 
solute blackness, — glimpses  of  the  actual  void  made 
almost  appalling  to  the  eye  by  immediate  close  con- 
trast with  the  surrounding  weird  light.  The  southern 
pole  is  itself  a  desert  tract  of  blank  mystery,  where 
the  close  observer  seeks  in  vain  for  some  distinguishable 
pivot  on  which  he  may  fix  the  mighty  whirl  of  stars ; 
and  near  at  hand  in  this  region  of  obscurity,  as  if  to 
enhance  the  weirdness  of  the  mystery,  there  loom  two 


SEASONS  AND  CLIMATE. 


47 


ghostly  spectra  of  far-away  star  kingdoms, — remote  is- 
lands of  the  illimitable  firmament  which  are  called  the 
*  clouds  of  Magellan,'  because  their  faint  forms  were 
first  marked  by  'he  keen  sight  of  that  early  navigator 
of  the  southern  £3as." 


48 


ZULU-LAND. 


CHAPTER  V. 

FIRST  EUROPEAN  SETTLEMENT  AT  THE  CAPE — MIGRA- 
TIONS OF  THE  DUTCH  FARMERS  PREVIOUS  TO  THEIR 
ARRIVAL  IN  THE  DISTRICT  OF  NATAL. 

^*  Away,  away  o'er  the  foaming  main  !" 
This  was  the  free  and  joyous  strain — ■ 
There  are  clearer  skies  than  ours,  afar, 
"We  will  shape  our  course  by  a  brighter  star ; 
There  are  plains  whose  verdure  no  foot  hath  pressed, 
And  whose  wealth  is  all  for  the  first  brave  guest." 

Mrs.  Hejians. 

To  get  a  clear  view  of  iJ^atal,  its  borders,  and  its 
tribes,  you  must  come  by  way  of  the  "  Old  Colony,"  at 
the  Cape,  and  learn  something  of  the  origin  and  migra- 
tions of  the  Boers  previ  )us  to  the  arriA^al  of  a  large 
party  of  them  in  Natal,  more  than  twenty  years  ago. 
The  Dutchman  has  had  so  much  to  do  with  the  Zulu- 
Kafir,  as  to  demand  notice  in  this  connection. 

Although  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  was  discovered  in 
the  loth  century,  and  was  visited  from  time  to  time, 
by  Portuguese,  Dutch,  and  English  navigators,  yet  it 
was  not  till  about  the  middle  of  the  ITth  century  that 
anything  like  an  earnest  effort  was  made  to  take  pos- 
session and  to  plant  a  colony.    In  April,  1652,  Jan  van 


EARLY  EUROPEAN  SETTLEMENTS. 


49 


Kiebeek,  who,  as  surgeon  for  a  fleet  belonging  to  the  Dutch 
East  India  Company,  had  recently  spent  some  time  at 
the  Cape,  being  now  a  merchant  and  commander  of  a 
fleet,  came  to  anchor  in  Saldanha  or  Table  Bay;  and 
by  the  Company's  authority,  began  to  build  a  fort,  and 
to  take  possession  of  such  neighboring  lands  as  they 
deemed  suited  to  their  use,  and  to  that  of  the  Com- 
pany's ships  on  their  way  from  Europe  to  India.  In 
six  years,  (1658,)  the  colony  contained  360  souls  ;  among 
whom  were  95  garrison  men,  51  free  inhabitants,  187 
slaves,  20  women  and  children,  and  a  few  convicts. 

Among  the  reasons  urged  by  Van  Riebeek  and  others, 
in  memorializing  the  East  India  Company  to  plant  a 
station  at  the  Cape,  the  religious  interests  of  the  abori- 
ginal race  were  mentioned.  In  one  of  their  memorials 
they  say  : — "  By  living  upon  good  terms  with  them  (the 
natives,)  it  is  probable  that  children  may  become  useful 
servants ;  and  if  educated  in  the  Christian  faith,  should 
the  Almighty  grant  his  blessing,  as  at  Tayona  and  at 
Formosa,  many  souls  may  be  brought  to  a  knowledge 
of  religion,  and  saved  to  God.  Therefore  the  formation 
of  the  said  fort  and  garden  will  not  only  tend  to  the 
advantage  of  the  East  India  Company,  but,  what  is  of 
more  consequence,  may  also  be  the  means  of  preserving 
many  souls  to  the  praise  of  God's  most  holy  name,  and 
to  the  propagation  of  his  holy  gospel,  for  which  your 
undertakings  throughout  India  will,  without  doubt,  be 
more  and  more  blessed." 

One  of  the  rules  by  which  they  were  to  be  governed,  re- 
quired that ' '  each  individual  should  consider  himself  called 
upon  in  the  most  impressive  manner  not  to  molest  the 
natives,  nor  take  away  their  cattle ;  but  on  the  con- 
5 


BO 


ZULU-LAND. 


trary  to  gam  their  confidence  bj  kind  and  friendly  treat- 
ment." 

The  settlement  prospered,  though  not  Tvithout  trials. 
The  natives  brought  them  cattle  and  sheep ;  their  gar- 
den supplied  them  with  turnips,  carrots,  and  cabbages ; 
the  plains  gave  them  game,  and  the  sea,  fish.  But  the 
Hottentot  would  sometimes  walk  ofi"  with  some  of  the 
Company's  cattle  ;  or  the  leopards  and  lions  would  take 
them :  the  locusts  would  come  by  day,  darken  the  air, 
and  eat  the  cabbages ;  or  some  of  the  governor's  own 
white  people  would  sometimes  go  by  night  and  steal 
them :  the  people  suffered  sometimes  from  the  ravages 
of  an  epidemic  on  land,  and  sometimes  from  fear  of  a 
hostile  fleet  in  the  Bay ;  and  the  directors  of  the  Com- 
pany at  home  declared  that  a  country  which  could  not 
grow  its  own  corn  did  not  deserve  to  be  called  a  colony. 
Nor  was  the  white  man  free  from  an  occasional  conflict 
with  the  natives.  The  first  seems  to  have  occurred  in 
the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  Cape,  only  seven  years 
after  the  colony  was  commenced. 

The  task  assigned  Riebeek,  was  by  no  means  an  easy 
one.  He  seems  to  have  kept  a  copious  journal  of  all 
his  proceedings  ;  parts  of  which  have  been  published. 
"  Traduced,  on  the  one  hand,  as  a  ruthless  and  inhuman 
destroyer  of  the  wretches  who  owned  the  land ;  by  the 
opposite  party,  with  equally  mistaken  feeling,  extolled 
as  an  apostle  of  Christianity  and  civilization  to  the  be- 
nighted heathen;  he  is  now  acknowledged,"  says  an 
able  Cape  writer  of  the  present  day,  to  have  been 
merely  a  faithful  and  intelligent  factor  for  his  commer- 
cial principals,  who,  by  inclination  as  well  as  policy, 
was  humane,  though  his  acts  led  necessarily  to  the  ruin 


EARLY  EUPtOrBAN  SETTLEMENTS. 


51 


and  destruction  of  :he  native  tribes."  The  earlier 
growth  of  the  settlement  Avas  slow ;  yet,  having  sur- 
vived a  full  third  of  a  century,  a  brighter  day  dawns 
upon  it. 

It  is  an  interesting  fact  that  between  the  years  1685 
and  1690,  about  three  hundred  French  Huguenots, — 
men,  women,  and  children,  of  whom  France  was  not 
worthy — the  salt  of  the  earth  and  light  of  the  world, — 
found  their  way  to  the  Cape.  Robbed  of  the  "  free- 
dom to  worship  God"  in  the  land  of  their  birth : — 

"  To  this  far  nook  the  Christian  exiles  fled. 

Each  fettering  tie  of  earthly  texture  breaking ; 
"Wealth,  country,  kindred,  cheerfully  forsaking 

For  that  good  cause  in  which  their  fathers  bled. 

By  faith  supported  and  by  freedom  led, 
A  fruitful  field  amidst  the  desert  making, 
They  dwelt  secure  when  kings  and  priests  were  quaking. 

And  taught  the  waste  to  yield  them  wine  and  bread." 

It  would  be  interesting  and  instructive,  could  we  turn 
aside  here  for  a  time,  to  study  and  adore  that  good 
Providence  which  ruleth  over  all;  numbering  the  very 
hairs  of  our  head,  and  suffering  not  a  sparrow  to  fall 
unnoticed.    Suffice  it  to  say  that  from  these 

 "  Pilgrim  fathers,  noblest  blood  of  sunny  France, 

Broad-browed  men  of  free-born  spirit,  lighted  with  the  eagle  glance," 

have  come  some  of  the  most  valuable  elements  of  the 
white  race  in  South  Africa.  Pity,  I  must  remark,  how- 
ever, that,  while  these  good  men  were  encouraged  and 
aided  to  come  and  settle  here,  the  notoriously  illiberal 
and  restrictive  policy  of  the  Dutch  company  was  far 
from  giving  proper  scope  to  the  industry,  enterprise, 
and  influence  which  they  were  prepared  to  exert,  and 


52 


ZULU-LAND. 


which  the  highest  welfare  of  all  parties,  both  immediate 
and  future,  required. 

As  the  colony  advanced  in  age,  and  the  government 
in  strength,  the  Dutch  gradually  gained  control  over 
the  native  population,  reduced  some  of  them  to  the  con- 
dition of  serfs  or  slaves,  drove  others  back  into  the  de- 
serts and  beyond  the  mountains,  and  step  by  step  en- 
croached upon  the  surrounding  country.  In  the  course 
of  a  century,  their  jurisdiction  extended  northward  to 
about  the  line  of  32°  south  latitude,  and  to  the  Keis- 
kamma  on  the  east,  and  covered  an  area  of  more  than 
100,000  square  miles. 

Near  the  close  of  the  eighteenth  century,  (1795,)  the 
English  captured  the  Cape,  and  in  1802,  they  restored 
it  again  to  the  Dutch.  In  1806,  the  English  took  it 
again  ;  and  from  that  time  to  the  present,  it  has  remained 
in  their  possession.  Meanwhile,  the  boundaries  of  the 
colony  have  been  extended  from  time  to  time,  now  reach- 
ing the  Orange  Kiver  on  the  north,  and  the  Kei  on  the 
east.  The  population  of  the  colony,  which  amounts  to 
more  than  two  hundred  thousand,  has  had  a  very  diver- 
sified origin.  The  white,  or  European  portion,  came 
primarily  from  Holland,  France,  England,  Scotland, 
and  Germany;  while  the  colored  portion,  which  is  sup- 
posed to  be  quite  equal  to  the  white  in  numbers,  must 
be  traced  to  the  Hottentot,  the  Malay,  the  Kafir,  and 
the  remnants  of  other  tribes,  or  to  a  cross  between  some 
of  these  and  the  white  race. 

Among  the  reasons  originally  urged  for  occupying 
the  Cape,  was  the  hope  of  thereby  doing  something  to- 
wards the  conversion  of  the  natives  to  Christianity. 
But,  so  far  as  we  can  learn,  little  or  nothing  of  the  kind 


EARLY  EUROPE  \N  SETTLEMETTS. 


53 


was  attempted  for  many  years.  Indeed,  shortly  after 
the  colony  was  founded,  it  would  seem  to  have  been  the 
ophiion  of  many,  that  this  was  impossible.  Mr.  Kolb^, 
the  Dutch  Historian  of  the  Cape,  says  they  would  not 
receive  the  gospel,  in  proof  of  which  he  records  the  fol- 
lowing circumstance : 

The  Governor,  Simon  Yan  der  Stell,  took  a  Hotten- 
tot youth  whose  name  was  Pegu^  for  the  purpose  of 
training,  whom  he  clothed  in  a  military  dress,  and  sup- 
plied with  a  wig,  and  a  hat  bordered  with  gold.  He 
gave  him  a  pair  of  silk  stockings,  a  sword  to  hang  by 
his  side  ;  and  thus  equipped,  Pegu  was  sent  to  school, 
where  he  learnt  the  Dutch,  Portuguese,  and  other  lan- 
guages, which  he  could  speak  with  fluency.  In  1685 
he  went  to  India  with  the  Commissioner  Yan  Rheede, 
and  continued  with  him  till  his  death.  Pegu  then  re- 
turned to  the  Cape,  but  would  no  longer  remain  in 
civilized  life.  He  therefore  took  his  fine  clothing,  and 
putting  it  into  a  chest,  threw  his  carosse  (skin-robe) 
over  his  shoulders,  and  went  to  the  governor,  saying : 
"  Hoort  Myn  Heer  !"  Hearken,  your  honor  !  I  must  no 
longer  wear  clothing,  much  less  be  a  Christian.  Let  me 
go  to  my  own  people,  and  live  as  they  do.  My  clothing 
is  in  the  chest ;  I  take  nothing  but  this  sword  and  cravat 
with  me  !  Having  thus  spoken,  he  departed  to  his  peo- 
ple, and  returned  no  more.  He  afterwards  became  a 
chief  among  them  ;  and  Kolb^  says  that  he  had  seen 
and  conversed  with  him  repeatedly. 

It  is  hardly  necessary  to  remark  that  it  takes  some- 
thin  cr  more  than  fine  clothes  and  a  forei2;n  tonc;ue  to 
make  a  true  Christian. 

The  experience  and  most  truthful  remarks  of  the  de- 


54 


ZULU-LAND. 


voted  Bryant,  onee  our  fellow-laborer  among  the  natives 
of  Natal,  are  worth  repeating  in  this  connection  :  ''Of 
fourteen  young  men  who  have  left  my  employ  within  two 
years,"  he  writes  in  1849,  "one  has  since  been  con- 
verted at  another  station,  and  of  course  clothes  himself ; 
thirteen  have  returned  to  their  heathen  friends,  and  go 
as  naked  as  ever.  Some  of  these  young  men  had  re- 
mained with  me  only  one  or  two  months,  and  some  had 
remained  more  than  a  year.  These  are  painful  facts, 
and  I  mention  them  to  show  how  utterly  futile  is  the 
attempt  to  civilize  these  people  without  first  converting 
them.  Wash  a  pig,  shut  him  up  in  a  parlor,  and  you 
may  perhaps  keep  him  clean  for  a  while ;  but  as  soon  as 
he  is  free,  he  will  return  to  his  wallowing  in  the  mire. 
Change  him  into  a  lamb  and  he  will  at  once  abandon 
some  of  his  filthy  habits.  To  think  of  civilizing  the 
heathen  without  converting  them,  seems  to  me  about  as 
wise  as  to  think  of  transforming  a  drove  of  swine  into 
lambs,  merely  by  washing  them  and  putting  on  a  fleece 
of  wool.  If,  in  twelve  months,  a  young  man  will  not 
become  civilized  enough  to  clothe  himself,  how  long  will 
it  take  to  civilize  a  nation  ?  The  gospel  being  the 
grand  remedy  devised  by  God  for  the  elevation  and  sal- 
vation of  the  degraded,  the  attempt  to  find  a  better 
way  is  a  virtual  impeachment  of  his  wisdom ;  and,  never 
will  he  endorse  with  his  blessing  any  scheme  of  social 
or  moral  elevation  which  dishonors  his  gospel  and  him- 
self." 

In  1737,  fifty  years  after  Van  der  Stell's  experiment 
with  his  Hottentot,  the  earnest,  courageous  Moravian, 
George  Schmidt,  arrived  at  the  Cape, — having  had  a 
free  passage  granted  him  by  the  Dutch  East  India  Com- 


EAELl  EUROPEaIt  SETTLEMENTS. 


55 


pany, — with  the  design  of  laboring  as  a  missionary 
among  the  Hottentots.  He  commenced  his  labors  at 
G-enadendal,  (the  Vale  of  Grace),  a  place  before  known 
as  Bavian's  (Baboon's)  Kloof.  His  efforts  began  to  be 
greatly  blessed  ;  but  through  the  interference  of  the 
Colonial  Government  he  was  obliged  to  desist.  Re- 
pairing to  Europe  with  the  hope  of  having  these  ob- 
stacles removed,  he  was  grieved  beyond  measure  to  find 
that  the  Dutch  Company,  actuated  by  fear  that  teach- 
ing the  Hottentot  would  interfere  with  the  interests  of 
the  colony,  would  not  allow  him  to  return  to  the  country 
again. 

Another  half  century  having  elapsed,  other  laborers 
came,  searched  out  the  garden  which  Schmidt  had 
planted,  and  found  a  little  fruit  still  remaining.  Among 
the  rest,  was  an  old  Hottentot  woman,  with  her  Bible, 
which  he  had  taught  her  to  read.  These  men  also  met 
with  much  opposition  from  the  Dutch  Farmers.  But 
they  persevered ;  and,  as  the  colony  soon  came  into  the 
hands  of  the  English,  they  found,  under  that  govern- 
ment, the  protection  which  they  required.  About  this 
time,  1799,  Dr.  Yanderkemp  and  others  came  out  under 
the  auspices  of  the  London  Society,  and  commenced 
missionary  labor  among  the  Kafirs  and  other  tribes. 

But  I  must  pass  to  another  topic,  lest  we  reach  the 
proper  limits  of  our  chapter  before  arriving  at  Natal 
via  the  Cape  and  in  company  with  the  Dutch. 

Not  long  after  the  Cape  Colony  came  fully  and  per- 
manently into  the  hands  of  the  English,  the  Dutch 
Farmers,  or  Boers,  began  to  push  their  way  more  inland, 
beyond  the  limits  of  Europeak  power  and  possession. 
The  causes  of  this  movement  were  various.    At  first 


56 


ZULl^LAND. 


some  went  in  searcl  of  fresh  and  unlimited  pasturage 
for  their  cattle,  designing  to  return  when  the  dry  season 
had  passed.  But  becoming  presently  enamored  with 
their  free,  migrating  life, 

"  While  on  from  plain  to  plain  they  led  their  flocks, 
In  search  of  clearer  spring,  and  fresher  field, 

little  by  little  they  forgot  to  return,  and  began  to  fix 
their  abode  on  the  north  of  the  Orange  River,  or  rather 
between  the  two  great  branches  of  that  river,  the  Nu 
Gariep  and  the  Ky  Gariep,  in  that  part  of  the  Bechu- 
ana  country  which  is  now  called  the  Orange  River  Free- 
State. 

In  1832,  about  two  hundred  of  this  class  had  located 
themselves  in  that  region.  Some,  doubtless,  went  there 
from  a  love  of  roving ;  some,  to  free  themselves  from 
taxation  and  the  restraints  of  law.  Some  complained 
that  they  were  not  duly  compensated  for  the  losses 
which  they  suffered  in  Kafir  wars  ;  and  some,  that  the 
Hottentot  would  leave  them  and  their  service  for  a  mis- 
sion station. 

The  last  and  chief  cause  of  the  migration  of  the  Boers  is 
found  in  the  efforts  which  the  British  Government  made 
to  correct  the  abuses  and  finally  to  effect  the  abolition 
of  slavery.  In  1833,  when  a  law  was  passed  to  give 
the  slaves  their  liberty  at  the  end  of  five  years  (Decem- 
ber, 1838,)  the  number  of  this  class  of  persons  amounted 
to  something  more  than  thirty-five  thousand ;  of  these 
some  were  estimated  by  their  owners  to  be  worth  X500 ; 
though  the  average  estimate  was  about  X85.  As  a 
compensation,  in  part,  for  the  loss  which  the  masters 
were  to  suffer,  the  British  Government  made  a  grant  of 


EARLY  EUROPEAN  SETTLEMENTS. 


57 


.£1,200,000 ;  which  gave  an  award  of  about  <£35  for 
each  slave.  The  freeing  of  the  shaves  and  the  small 
compensation  made  to  the  master,  gave  the  Eoers 
great  offence.  So  unpopular  was  the  whole  affair,  that 
some  of  the  farmers  threw  up  their  claim,  and  left  the 
money  in  the  hands  of  the  British  Government. 

The  Boers  now  began  to  leave  the  colony  in  large 
numbers.  An  exploring  party  of  fourteen  families 
came  with  their  wagons  to  Natal,  in  1834.  Two  or 
three  years  later,  hundreds  went  beyond  the  Nu  Grariep 
into  the  Bechuana  country.  Some  pushed  farther  on, 
until  they  reached  the  Ky  Gariep,  orYaal  river,  and 
came  eventually  in  contact  with  the  Matebele  under 
Umzilikazi ;  a  people  among  whom  missionaries  from 
America  were  just  then  trying  to  plant  a  station  and  to 
declare  the  gospel.  One  party  turned  more  to  the  east, 
all  but  two  of  whom  perished  in  the  sickly  region  of 
Delagoa  Bay.  The  Cape  government  and  many  of  the 
clergy  begged  the  farmers  to  consider,  and  be  dissuaded 
from  the  course  upon  which  they  were  bent ;  but  their 
counsel  had  little  permanent  effect. 

Having  made  a  successful  attack  upon  Umzilikazi 
and  returned  to  the  south  of  the  Yaal,  into  what  is  now 
called  the  Free  State,  clannish  feelings,  rivalry,  and 
disunion  began  to  be  developed  among  the  Boers.  Some 
wished  to  settle  on  the  Vaal;  some  would  go  further 
east,  towards  Delagoa  Bay,  others,  at  the  head  of 
whom  was  Pieter  Retief,  began  to  shape  their  course 
towards  Natal. 

Breaking  up  their  encampment  on  the  Sand  river,  a 
branch  of  the  Yaal,  Retief  and  some  of  his  pcoi)le 
crossed  the  Drakensberg,  or  Kwalihnnba  range,  and 


58 


ZULU-LAND. 


reached  Port  Natal  on  the  20th  of  October,  1837 ;  and 
before  the  close  of  that  year  it  was  estimated  that  not 
less  than  a  thousand  wagons — (and  a  Boer's  wagon  is  a 
big  thing,  drawn  usually  by  no  less  than  a  dozen  oxen,) 
— came  down  the  slope  of  that  mountain  into  this  dis- 
trict. Other  wagons,  to  the  number  of  about  five  hun- 
dred, remained  for  the  present  on  the  other  side  of  the 
range.  The  host  of  people  connected  with  these  fifteen 
hundred  w^agons  was  not  probably  less  than  fifteen  thou- 
sand ;  all  entering  Natal,  or  halting  on  her  border  at 
that  time. 

The  Boers  found  half  a  dozen  or  more  missionaries  in 
the  field ;  a  part  of  them  laboring  some  miles  to  the 
west  of  the  Bay,  and  the  rest  to  the  north  of  the  Tu- 
gela,  in  Zulu-land.  Besides  these,  they  also  found  fif- 
teen or  twenty  other  white  people,  mostly  Englishmen, 
who  had  come  to  Natal  at  difi*erent  times  and  for  vari- 
ous purposes,  in  previous  years.  These  men  were  living 
for  the  most  part,  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  Port ;  and 
from  them  Retief  and  his  company  received  a  hearty 
welcome  to  new  homes  and  broad  fields. 


ORIGIN  OF  THE  ZINGIAN  RACE. 


59 


CHAPTER  VI. 

ORIGIN  AND  RELATIONSHIP  OF  THE  ZULU-KAFIR  AND 
OTHER  ZINGIAN  TRIBES. 

Language  furnishes  one  of  the  safest  guides  to  the 
origin  and  relationship  of  the  nations  of  our  globe. 
Taking  this  for  our  guide  we  conclude,  in  the  first  place, 
that  all  the  aboriginal  inhabitants  of  Southern  Africa, 
save  the  Hottentot  and  Bushman,  belong  to  one  variety, 
and  have  a  common  origin.  This  variety,  extending  as 
it  does  from  the  vicinity  of  the  Orange  River  in  the 
south  and  south-west,  and  from  the  Kei  in  the  south- 
east, to  the  so-called  mountains  of  the  moon,  on  the 
north,  includes  a  large  number  of  cognate  clans,  among 
which  are  the  Zanguebar  and  Mozambique  tribes  on 
the  east ;  the  Zulu  and  Kosa,  or  proper  Kafir,  in  the 
south-east ;  the  Becliuana,  Bayeye,  and  kindred  tribes 
in  the  interior ;  and  the  Ovaherero,  Ovampo,  Kongo, 
and  Mpongwe,  on  the  west. 

The  general  characteristics  of  the  several  dialects 
spoken  by  the  many  and  widely-scattered  tribes  here 
named  being  essentially  the  same,  proves  that  they  all 
belong  to  one  group  or  branch  of  the  human  family, 
and  that  they  had  one  comimon,  subordinate  origin.  A 
glance,  aloO,  at  tliLur  moral  and  physical  charactci-istics, 


60 


ZULU-LAND. 


their  religious  notions,  their  mental  type,  tlieir  bodily 
conformation,  color,  features,  goes  to  show  the  same 
thing ;  namely,  that  the  numerous  tribes  which  occupy 
this  broad  section  of  southern  and  central  Africa,  that 
is,  from  seven  or  eight  degrees  north  of  the  equator  to 
half  a  dozen  degrees  beyond  the  tropical  regions  on 
the  south,  all  spring  from  a  common  stock,  and  form 
but  a  single  group  in  the  larger  divisions  of  the  African 
race. 

For  this  group  no  name  has  yet  been  definitely  adopted 
by  the  learned.  Some  would  call  it  the  Kafir,  but  custom 
at  the  present  day  limits  that  term  to  a  small  district  on 
the  east  coast  between  Natal  and  the  Cape  Colony.  The 
term  Qhuana,  the  root  of  Becliuana  and  Sechuana,  is  for 
several  reasons  less  objectionable,  and  has  been  already 
used  to  some  extent  by  able  writers.  Zingian,  from 
Zingis,  the  old  name  for  Zanguebar,  is  another  term 
which  some  of  the  learned  have  used,  and  Bantu  an- 
other by  which  to  designate  the  race.  None  of  these 
names  satisfies  me,  but  of  them  all  Zingian  seems  to 
be  the  best. 

The  geographical  position  of  the  Hottentot,  from  the 
time  he  was  first  known  to  the  European,  situated  as  he 
was  at  the  southern  extreme  of  the  African  continent, 
and  flanked  from  sea  to  sea  on  his  north  or  inland  side 
by  a  broad  belt  of  people  of  a  very  different  language 
and  appearance,  would  seem  to  indicate  that  any  search 
for  his  pedigree  and  ancestry,  provided  the  present  be 
not  his  original  home,  must  be  made  in  regions  far  re- 
moved in  respect  to  both  time  and  place.  Happily, 
within  the  last  few  years,  a  careful  study  of  his  lan- 
guage and  a  comparison  of  this  with  the  old  Egyptian 


ORIGIN  OF  THE  ZINGIAN  RACE. 


61 


and  Coptic  tongue,  have  given  us  a  clew  to  liis  ancient 
abode.  If  we  may  credit  some  of  the  most  learned  and 
acute  philologists  of  the  present  day,  and  those  who 
have  had  the  best  opportunities  for  studying  the  Hot- 
tentot and  Bushman,  together  with  other  African  dia- 
lects, this  Gariepine  tongue  of  the  southern  extreme 
belongs  to  the  same  family  as  the  old  Egyptian  and 
Coptic,  the  Berber,  Haussa,  and  Ethiopic,  in  the  far- 
thest north  of  the  continent,  and  what  is  also  highly 
interesting  and  important,  this  southern  branch  of  the 
family  is  found  to  surpass  all  the  rest  in  the  integrity 
with  which  it  has  preserved  the  more  essential  charac- 
teristics of  the  original  stock. 

Admitting  the  correctness  of  these  views,  we  can 
have  no  doubt  as  to  the  earlier  ancestry  of  our  neigh- 
bors of  the  Hottentot  and  Bushman  class,  including 
the  Koranna  and  Namaqua,  and  that  their  origin  is  the 
same  as  that  of  the  nations  of  northern  Africa,  the  old 
Egyptian  and  kindred  tribes  ;  including,  perhaps,  the 
Tuarick  or  Berber  and  the  Guanches  on  the  one  hand, 
and  the  Semitic  or  Amharic  and  Galla  on  the  other. 

This  conclusion  is  supported  by  other  considerations. 
The  appearance,  manners,  and  customs  of  the  Hotten- 
tots are  all  markedly  different  from  those  of  the  Zin- 
gian  race,  whilst  they  afford  grounds  for  classing  them 
with  the  old  Egyptian  and  other  north  African  nations. 
The  antiquities  of  Egypt  give  us  impressions  and  pic- 
tures which  some  of  the  learned  at  the  Cape  take  to  be 
so  very  like  the  Hottentot  as  to  make  it  pretty  certain 
that  persons  of  this  class  must  have  formed  the  original 
of  these  representations.  Some  of  the  earliest  Euro- 
pean observers  and  historians  in  south  Africa  tell  us 
6 


62 


ZULU-LAND. 


that  the  Hottentot  of  olden  times  worshiped  the  moon, 
an  idea  to  which  some  of  the  traditions  which  he  has 
brought  down  to  the  present  day,  would  give  at  least 
some  color  of  support ;  and  from  ancient  history  it  is 
evident  that  siderial  worship  was  once  common  among 
some  of  the  nations  of  northern  Africa,  as  also  among 
some  of  their  nearer  neighbors  in  the  west  of  Asia; 
whereas  of  all  this  we  find  no  trace  among  any  of  the 
Zingian  or  Kafir  tribes.  The  AmaJilozi,  or  shades  of 
the  heroic  dead,  the  gods  of  the  Zulu,  are  all  regarded 
as  having  their  homes  beneath  and  never  above.  The 
Gariepine  or  Hottentot  race  makes  use  of  the  bow  and 
arrow,  in  which  respect  it  differs  also  from  the  Zingian, 
(Kafir  and  Zulu,)  but  agrees  with  many  a  nation  of 
olden  time  at  the  north.  But  of  all  the  points  wherein 
the  Hottentot  difi*ers  from  the  Zingian,  that  of  language 
is  the  most  important  and  decisive.  On  the  likeness 
of  this  most  permanent  and  marked  feature  of  the  Hot- 
tentot family  to  that  of  the  old  Egyptian,  we  rely 
chiefly  for  proof  that  the  Gariepine  race  and  the  old 
Egyptian  or  Coptio  are  in  origin  the  same. 

But,  it  will  be  asked, what  has  all  this  to  do  with  the 
origin  of  the  Zulu,  the  Kafir,  and  kindred  tribes  ? 
Though  there  are  yet  points  on  which  we  need  more 
light,  from  what  has  been  said,  is  it  not  evident  that 
the  great  Zingian  race  coming  in  from  abroad  at  a  very 
early  age,  must  have  cut  the  old  Egyptian  or  Coptic 
family  asunder ;  and,  shaping  its  course  to  the  south, 
have  carried  a  large  portion  of  the  sundered  family  be- 
fore it,  till  it  eventually  found  itself  located  in  the 
angle  which  two  oceans  make  at  the  other  extreme  of 
the  continent  ?    But  you  will  ask,  whence  came  the  in- 


THE  ORIGIN  OF  THE  ZD  GIAN  RACE. 


63 


trusive  race,  the  sundering  wedge,  into  Egypt  ? — from 
the  south,  the  west,  or  the  east  ?  We  can  scarcely  sup- 
pose it  to  have  come  from  the  south ;  it  may  have  come 
from  the  west ;  but  most  probably  from  the*  east.  Ir- 
ruptions from  that  quarter,  in  those  ages,  were  not  un- 
common. The  history  of  the  Hyksos,  or  Shepherd 
kings,  is  a  noted  instance.  As  the  families  of  the  earth 
multiplied,  and  nations  increased,  there  was,  evidently, 
a  general  pressure  of  people  from  the  north-east  to  the 
south-west — from  the  Euphrates  into  Egypt — from  all 
parts  of  western  Asia  into  the  north-east  of  Africa. 

To  what  great  family,  tribe,  or  nation,  then,  did  this 
incursive,  immigrating  body,  the  original  stock  of  the 
Zingian  race  belong  ?  Doubtless  to  some  branch  of 
the  Hamitic.  If,  in  the  sweep  by  which  it  took  up  a 
group  of  Egyptians  and  set  them  down  at  this  end  of 
the  continent,  it  came  in  from  the  west, — and  some  sup- 
pose the  intrusive,  transporting  clan  or  race  came  from 
that  direction, — it  may  have  belonged  to  the  line  of 
Phut,  the  third  son  of  Ham,  who  is  reckoned  to  have 
settled  in  Mauritania.  But  I  think  the  more  likely 
supposition  is,  that  it  came  from  the  east ;  having  had 
its  origin,  perhaps,  in  some  branch  of  the  family  of  Cush, 
the  eldest  of  the  sons  of  Ham.  The  descendants  of 
this  line  were  numerous ;  and  some  of  them  settled  in 
Asia.  Thus,  Nimrod,  the  mighty  hunter,  who  was  one 
of  the  sons  of  Cush,  built  several  large  towns  in  Baby- 
lonia and  Mesopotamia,  among  which  was  Babel,  the  me- 
tropolis of  his  dominion  ;  and  some  suppose  he  invaded 
Assur,  or  Assyria,  east  of  the  Tigris,  and  there  built 
Nineveh  and  several  other  towns.  It  would  seem  also, 
that  other  branches  of  the  family  of  Cush  settled,  for  a 


64 


ZULU-LAXD. 


time  at  least,  in  Asia,  more  especially  in  tlie  district  of 
Arabia  ;  doubtless  the  greater  part  A^'ent  at  an  early 
period  to  Africa,  and  settled  to  the  south  of  Egypt, 
along  the  Kile  and  its  branches,  especially  about  Meroe. 

According  to  the  English  Cyclopsedia  (on  Ethiopia,) 
Herodotus  speaks  of  two  classes,  or  groups  of  Ethiopi- 
ans— one  in  Africa,  the  other  in  Asia.  This  latter 
class  formed  a  part  of  the  great  army  of  Xerxes  ;  but 
their  locality  is  not  easily  determined.  "The  historian 
hoAYCver  observes  that  the  Asiatic  Ethiopians  were  black, 
like  those  of  Libya,  but  differed  from  them  in  language, 
and  had  straight  hair  ;  whereas  those  of  Libya  had  very 
curly  hair,  by  which  term  some  modern  writers  have 
somewhat  hastily  concluded  that  the  woolly  hair  of  the 
negro  is  intended." 

Now  between  the  Zingian  tribes,  of  which  we  are 
speaking,  and  the  proper  negro  race,  there  is,  for  sub- 
stance, at  the  present  day,  just  that  kind  of  difference 
which  the  great  historian  Herodotus  remarked,  more 
than  two  thousand  years  ago,  between  the  Asiatic 
Ethiopian  and  his  namesake  in  Africa.  This  remark 
holds  to  some  extent,  even  in  respect  to  the  hair ;  for, 
though  that  of  the  Zulu,  or  Kafir,  is  now  woolly,  yet  it 
is  admitted  to  be  less  so  than  that  of  the  negro.  And, 
in  respect  to  language, — that  most  fixed,  decisive  mark 
of  natural  unity  and  difference,  — so  far  as  our  present 
knowledge  extends,  there  is  reason  to  believe  that  there 
is  a  broad  distinction  between  the  Zingian,  on  the  south 
of  the  Equator,  and  the  real  negro  of  Soudan,  and 
neighboring  dialects  in  the  north. 

It  may  here  be  further  remarked,  that,  according  to 
one  mode  of  classifying  the  languages  of  men,  that 


THE  OKIGIN  OF  THE  ZINGIAN  RACE. 


65 


which  is  spoken  bj  the  Zingian  family,  and  called  the 
alliterative,  prefixional,  or  reflective,  and  by  some,  the 
agglutinate,  or  by  others  synthetic,  belongs  to  the  same 
class  as  that  vhich  is  spoken  throughout  central  and 
northern  Asia,  the  agglutinate  character  of  which  is 
particularly  exemplified  in  the  Turkish,  Georgian,  and 
all  the  great  Tartar  family.  Those  who  adopt  this  clas- 
sification, some  of  them  at  least,  would  reduce  all  lan- 
guages to  three  classes, — the  monosyllabic,  the  agglu- 
tinate, and  the  inflective.  In  the  so-called  agglutinate 
family,  they  find  three  varieties ; — the  agglutinate  by 
insertion,  as  in  the  Indian  dialects  of  America ;  by  in- 
corporation, as  in  the  Turkish  and  Tartar  tongues  of 
Asia ;  and  the  agglutinate  by  assimilation  and  repeti- 
tion, as  in  the  Chuana,  Zulu,  Kafir,  and  other  dialects 
of  the  Zingian  tribes  in  Africa. 

Now,  taking  all  these  facts,  thoughts,  and  hints  to- 
gether, would  it  not  seem  that  the  Zingian  race  had  its 
origin  in  central  or  western  Asia,  perhaps  even  in  Arme- 
nia,— more  likely,  farther  south,  possibly  on  the  Eu- 
phrates ;  and  that,  in  process  of  time,  being  straitened 
for  room,  it  broke  away  from  its  original  seat,  or  was 
driven  out,  the  whole  or  a  part,  and  led  to  shape  its 
course  to  the  south-west ;  either  carried  along  by  a  ge- 
neral movement,  or  drawn  by  the  attractions  of  kindred, 
in  that  direction,  until  they  came  to  Mizraim  in  the  land 
of  the  Nile  ?  Finding  the  valley  of  that  river  already 
too  full,  they  pass  on,  though  not  without  driving  a 
portion  of  the  people  before  them, — a  portion,  perhaps, 
already  removed  of  their  own  accord,  or  crowded  out 
into  the  more  open  country,  in  search  of  a  new  home  in 
a  wider  field.  The  northern  coast  already  occupied, 
6* 


66 


ZULU-LAND. 


they  natiiralj  turn  to  the  south,  ascend  the  Nile,  or 
move  gradually  along  the  eastern  coast,  until,  at  length, 
they  reach  the  country  and  condition  in  which  we  find 
them. 

Of  course,  in  passing  through  so  many  new  lands,  and 
so  many  ages  of  being,  and  coming  in  contact  with  other 
races,  the  original  character  and  speech  of  this  Zingian 
race  would  be  considerably  modified.  Their  progress 
being  slow,  they  would  naturally  intermarry  with  neigh- 
boring tribes ;  and  be  fashioned,  physically,  mentally, 
and  morally,  to  some  extent  by  the  people,  the  country, 
the  climate,  the  customs,  and  other  molding  influences 
to  which  they  were  exposed.  In  this  way,  whether 
originally  a  branch  of  the  real  negro  stock  or  not,  it  is 
easy  to  account  for  both  the  agreement  and  the  differ- 
ence which  we  find  to  exist  at  the  present  day  between 
the  two  families.  The  Zingian  race  cradled  in  Asia, — 
as  our  speculations  incline  us  to  believe, — the  genuine 
negro  or  Ethiopic  in  Africa ;  the  one  living  for  ages 
perhaps,  without  the  tropic  in  the  east,  while  the  other 
hasted  to  its  more  sunny  home  in  the  great  peninsula ; 
the  former,  perchance,  long  associated  with  Japhetic  or 
Shemitic  nations,  and  much  traveled  withal ;  while  the 
latter  doubtless  came  into  being,  and  passed  both  the 
plastic  season  of  its  youth  and  its  maturer  age,  in  the 
same  secluded,  sandy  region  where  it  is  now  found :  it 
is  easy  to  see  why  the  Kafir,  the  Zulu,  and  all  their  kin, 
though  they  spring  from  a  common  stock,  should  be 
found  at  this  day  more  robust,  taller,  of  a  lighter  color,  , 
with  hair  less  woolly,  with  a  nose  more  elevated,  of  a 
much  greater  facial  angle,  a  higher  forehead,  and  alto- 
gether of  a  more  intelligent,  Caucasian  look,  than  their 


THE  OniGIN  OF  THE  ZINGIAN  EACE.  67 

Kigritian  neighbors  of  the  Ethiopia  or  Negro  stamp. 
At  the  same  time  we  see  in  these  Zulu  and  Kafir  tribes, 
in  the  whole  Zingian  race,  so  much  of  the  true  negro 
type,  so  much  of  dark  color  in  the  skin,  of  curling  and 
woolliness  in  the  hair,  of  breadth  in  the  nostrils,  of 
thickness  in  the  lips,  so  much  of  likeness  in  the  eyes 
and  in  other  respects  to  the  other  race, — the  tribes 
which  now  flank  this  northern  domain, — that  we  must 
come  to  the  conclusion,  that  if  the  Zingian  family  had 
an  origin  either  more  ancient  or  more  modern,  or  in  any 
wise  other  than  the  Negroes  of  Nigritia,  it  mingled  with 
these  in  its  formative  days,  on  its  migratory  way  through 
the  Ethiopia  regions,  till  it  was  largely  imbued  with 
their  spirit,  and  fashioned  after  their  type. 


68 


ZULU-LAND. 


CHAPTER  yil. 

EARLY  ACCOUNTS  OF    NATAL. — HISTORY    OF    THE  RUL- 
ERS. REIGN  OP  CHAKA. 

Between  the  years  1684  and  1690,  several  vessels 
came  to  Port  Natal,  doubtless  in  search  of  slaves.  The 
accounts  which  these  voyagers  have  given  to  the  world, 
show  that  the  people  of  this  district  were  numerous  at 
that  time,  and  their  character  and  customs  much  the 
same  as  we  now  find  them. 

At  about  the  same  period,  nearly  two  hundred  years 
ago,  the  Cape  government  (the  Dutch  East  India  Com- 
pany,) collected  some  facts  respecting  this  country  and 
people,  from  shipwrecked  seamen  who  reached  Cape 
Town, — some  coming  across  the  country,  others  by  sea; 
also  from  agents  who  came  here  in  behalf  of  that  com- 
pany, for  trade,  exploration,  and  other  purposes.  These 
men,  they  tell  us,  "  found  the  country  of  Natal  very 
fruitful  and  populous,  and  the  natives  friendly,  oblig- 
ing, strong,  and  ingenious ;  armed  with  only  one  as- 
segai ;  obedient  and  submissive  to  their  king,  or  chief ; 
living  in  communities,  in  huts  made  of  branches  wrought 
through  with  rushes  and  long  grass,  and  roofed  like 
haystacks  in  Holland.  In  manners,  dress,  and  beha- 
viour, they  are  much  more  orderly  than  the  Cape  Hotten- 


HISTORICAL. 


69 


tots.  The  women  attend  to  cultivation ;  the  men  herd 
and  milk  the  cows.  They  do  not  eat  poultry,  because 
these  feed  on  filth ;  still  less  do  they  eat  eggs.  From 
their  corn  they  make  very  well-tasted  and  nourishing 
bread,  and  brew  beer,  both  small  and  strong,  which  is 
not  unpleasant  to  the  taste,  and  which  they  keep  in 
earthen  vessels.  They  have  tobacco  and  smoke  it.  The 
country  is  populous  and  fertile,  abounding  in  oxen, 
cows,  and  goats,  as  also  in  elephants,  buffaloes,  har- 
tebeests,  and  other  tame  and  wild  beasts.  The  inhabi- 
tants are  obliging ;  and  for  a  copper  bracelet  they  will 
not  refuse  to  carry  a  weight  of  fifty  or  a  hundred 
pounds,  a  distance  of  three  or  four  days'  journey  over 
hill  and  dale." 

Coming  down  to  a  later  date, — a  period  of  more  defi- 
nite history,  within  the  memory  of  the  present  inhabi- 
tants,— we  find  that  Natal  was  visited  by  several  white 
people  about  a  third  of  a  century  since.  They  came 
here,  some  for  exploration,  some  for  commerce,  and 
some  for  other  reasons, — such  as  the  miscarrying  of 
fortune,  of  character,  or  of  some  ship  upon  the  Indian 
sea.  When  Captain  King,  Lieutenant  Farewell,  and 
others  arrived  in  1823,  to  explore  the  coast  and  harbor 
and  engage  also  in  trade,  it  was  said  that,  at  that  time, 
no  vessel  or  white  man  had  been  here  within  the  me- 
mory of  the  oldest  inhabitants.  These  men,  with  a  few 
others,  some  of  whom  had  been  wrecked  upon  this  coast, 
took  up  their  abode  among  the  natives,  soon  after  the 
above  date.  Being  joined  from  time  to  time,  by  one 
and  another,  in  1835,  their  number  had  increased  to 
eighteen  or  twenty. 

On  their  arrival,  they  found  the  whole  country  from 


70 


ZULU-LAND. 


Umzimvubu  to  Delagoa  Bay,  and  inland  to  the  Kwali- 
lamba  range,  the  boundary  of  Basutuland,  in  possession 
of  the  Zulu  chieftain  Chaka,  and  his  people,  who  had 
conquered  the  tribes  that  dwelt  here  in  former  days, 
incorporating  them  with  his  own  nation,  and  adding  the 
district  to  his  own  ancestral  domain. 

The  authority  and  dominion  of  this  chief,  Chaka,  and 
then  of  his  successor,  Dingan,  over  all  this  vast  region, 
were  fully  acknowledged  by  the  white  men  during  the 
period  above  named,  as  well  as  by  the  native  tribes.  It  was 
by  the  consent  or  sufferance  of  these  chiefs,  first  Chaka, 
then  Dingan,  that  the  foreigners  remained  in  safety  for 
many  years, — some  till  their  death,  and  others  till  the 
arrival  of  the  Dutch  emigrants  in  1838,  and  the  dis- 
turbances consequent  upon  that  influx.  When  Captain 
Gardiner  arrived  here  from  England,  and  several  mis- 
sionaries from  America,  to  labor  among  the  heathen, 
they  all  looked  to  the  great  Zulu  chieftain  as  the  arbi- 
ter of  the  land. 

In  respect  to  the  infancy  and  rise  of  the  Amazulu  as 
a  nation,  if  we  go  back  only  so  far  as  the  memory  of 
the  oldest  inhabitants  of  the  land  extends,  we  find  the 
Zulus  at  that  time  a  comparai^ively  small  tribe,  living  on 
the  Imfolosi  and  Umhlatusi  rivers,  mostly  between  28° 
and  29°  South  Latitude,  and  between  the  sea  and  31°  East 
Longitude.  They  are  reported  to  have  come  down  at 
some  former  period  from  a  more  inland  region  on  the 
north-west. 

The  line  of  Zulu  chiefs,  (as  remarked  in  the  Intro- 
duction" to  my  '''■Zulu  Grammar,'")  so  far  as  we  can 
now  ascertain,  is  the  present  incumbent  Umpande,  who 
succeeded  his  brother  Dingan,  who  succeeded  his  bro- 


HISTORICAL. 


ther  Chaka,  who  succeeded  his  father  Usenzangacona, 
who  was  the  son  of  Jama,  who  was  the  son  of  Umakeba, 
who  was  the  son  of  Upunga.  Some,  however,  give  Um- 
buzi,  in  place  of  Umakeba,  as  father  of  Jama. 

Chaka  was  born  about  the  year  1787.  His  father, 
Usenzangacona,  was  rich  in  wives  and  children ;  hav- 
ing twenty-five  or  thirty  of  the  former,  and  no  one 
knows  how  many  of  the  latter.  Between  him  and  one 
of  his  wives,  Umnandi  (the  sweet  one,)  the  mother  of 
Chaka,  there  arose  some  cause  of  bitterness,  which  is 
common,  actually  inevitable,  in  a  social  state  of  which 
polygamy  is  the  basis.  In  consequence  of  this  difficulty 
between  husband  and  wife,  which  increased  with  the 
father's  jealousy  of  the  precocious  and  aspiring  youth, 
the  mother  took  the  boy  Chaka,  and  fled,  first  to  the 
Amaqwabe,  and  then  to  the  Amatetwa  or  Umtetwa, 
whose  chief  at  that  time  was  Udingiswayo.  The  Ama- 
tetwa, reported  to  have  come  down  the  coast  from  the 
north-east,  at  a  former  period,  were  now  a  powerful 
tribe,  and  neighbors  to  the  Amazulu ;  probably  the 
same  with  those  who  are  spoken  of  in  some  books  of  an 
ancient  date  under  the  name  of  Vatwa  or  Batwa. 

Udingiswayo  gave  Chaka  and  his  mother  to  the  care 
of  Ungomana,  an  induna,  or  chief  counselor  of  his 
tribe.  Here  the  young  prince  passed  most  of  his  youth, 
and  received  all  the  training  which  he  had  for  royalty. 
On  the  death  of  his  father,  he  was  sent  back  by  Udin- 
gisAvayo,  at  the  age  of  about  thirty,  to  take  possession 
of  the  kingdom.  Arriving  at  home,  he  found  his  fa- 
ther's place  already  filled  by  another  son,  Usigujana, 
said  by  some  to  have  been  the  rightful  successor.  Chaka, 
however,  soon  succeeded  in  deposing  and  destroying 


•  72 


ZULU-LAND. 


his  brother,  and  in  taking  the  power  into  his  own  hands. 
No  sooner  had  he  ascended  the  throne  of  his  father, 
and  fairly  asserted  his  authority  over  the  Amazulu, 
than  a  large  portion  of  the  Amatetwa  joined  him,  and 
asked  his  aid  against  another  tribe  with  whom  they  were 
at  war. 

At  the  head  of  a  tribe  whose  very  name  (from  izulu^ 
heaven)  is  equivalent  to  the  celestials,  now  increased  in 
numbers,  in  strength,  in  courage,  by  the  voluntary  al- 
liance of  another  powerful  tribe ;  himself  an  ambitious 
man,  of  royal  blood,  in  the  prime  of  life,  already  adored 
as  of  more  than  human  origin,  panting  for  forays,  vic- 
tory, and  plunder,  Chaka  sallied  forth  in  person  at  the 
head  of  his  warriors,  soon  conquered  the  tribe  against 
which  his  aid  was  sought,  took  many  of  them  captives, 
and  added  them  to  his  own  nation.  Cruel  and  bloody 
as  this  mighty  African  conqueror  is  reputed  to  have 
been,  or  as  he  really  became  in  the  progress  of  his  tri- 
umphs, his  policy,  especially  at  first,  was  not  so  much 
the  utter  destruction  of  the  neighboring  tribes,  as  to 
subdue,  and  incorporate  them  with  his  own.  Pursuing 
this  policy,  he  conquered  one  tribe  after  another,  located 
them  here  and  there  among  his  own  people,  taking  care 
so  to  distribute,  guard,  and  govern  them,  as  to  hold 
them  in  the  most  complete  awe  and  subordination  to 
himself.  In  this  way  he  seems  to  have  gone  on,  five  or 
six  years,  without  much  interruption,  increasing  the 
number  of  his  subjects  and  tributaries,  the  strength  of 
his  army,  and  the  extent  of  his  dominions  ;  so  that,  in 
1822,  his  conquering  power  was  felt  from  the  Umzim- 
vubu,  or  St.  John's,  on  the  south-west,  to  Inhambane 


HISTORICAL. 


73 


on  the  north-east,  and  from  the  sea  coast  inland  across 
at  least  half  the  continent  of  Africa. 

It  is  said  that  Chaka  kept  twelve  or  fifteen  thousand 
warriors,  in  constant  readiness  for  any  expedition  or 
emergency,  in  which  he  might  deem  their  services  requi- 
site. The  first  great  law  of  his  military  code  was,  conquer 
or  die.  Unsuccessful  troops  had  little  to  hope  from  him. 
If  they  would  not  die  rather  than  fly,  they  must  die  for 
flying.  "Elephant  hides,"  "panther  catchers,"  "the  tra- 
velers," "the  victors,"  "the  bees,"  are  a  sample  of  the 
names  by  which  his  regiments  were  designated.  The  nu- 
merous force  which  he  was  accustomed  to  keep  in  readi- 
ness for  service  at  a  moment's  warning,  and  the  still  greater 
number  of  fighting  men  which  he  ever  had  in  reserve,  all 
go  to  show  that  he  must  have  had  an  immense  population 
at  his  command.  Remembering  that  the  Zulu  tribe  proper 
was  small  when  he  came  to  the  throne,  we  judge  that, 
careless  of  life  as  he  was,  his  leading  policy  in  war  was 
not  so  much  to  annihilate  the  neighboring  tribes,  as  to 
subjugate  and  incorporate  them  with  his  own. 

Among  his  royal  towns, — of  which  he  had  as  many 
as  he  had  regiments  of  soldiers, — Isiklepe,  Nobamba, 
Bulawayo,  Umbelebele,  and  Utukusa,  may  be  named  as 
some  of  the  more  important.  Utukusa  was  built  on 
the  Umvoti  after  he  had  subdued  this  district.  Here  he 
passed  much  of  his  time  during  the  latter  part  of  his 
life,  praised  and  worshiped,  by  his  soldiers  and  all  the 
people,  as  "the  tiger,  the  lion,  the  elephant,  the  great 
mountain,  the  mighty  black  prince,  king  of  kings,  the 
immortal  only  one."  One  of  the  songs  which  his  sol- 
diers used  to  sing  to  his  praise,  turned  into  English, 

runs  thus : 
7 


74 


ZULU-LAND. 


Thou  didst  finish,  finish  the  nations ; 
Where  wiL  you  go  to  battle  now  ? 

Hey!  where  will  you  go  to  battle  now  ? 
Thou  didst  conquer  the  kings, 

Where  do  you  go  to  battle  now  ? 
Thou  didst  finish,  finish  the  nations, 

Where  do  you  go  to  battle  now? 
Hurrah  !  hurrah  !  hurrah  ! 

Where  do  you  go  to  battle  now? 

But  during  the  last  few  years  of  his  life,  while  the 
country  was  enjoying  a  season  of  comparative  peace, 
his  own  mind  seems  not  to  have  been  at  rest.  Some  of 
the  last  expeditions  which  he  planned  and  prosecuted 
give  plausibility  to  the  report  which  was  circulated  con- 
cerning him,  that  he  was  entertaining  the  mighty  pro- 
ject of  sweeping  the  coast  from  Natal  to  the  Cape  of 
Good  Hope  with  the  besom  of  destruction ;  nor  would 
he  leave  an  unsubdued  nation  to  the  north  or  north-east 
of  his  own  domain. 

In  1828,  alleging  that  a  brother  had  robbed  him  of 
some  of  his  cattle,  and  fled  with  them  to  the  West,  and 
that  he  must  go  in  pursuit  of  the  ofi'ender  and  of  the 
stolen  property,  he  not  only  marshalled  his  own  forces, 
but  also  called  the  European  residents  at  Natal,  with 
their  muskets  and  men,  and  pushed  on  to  the  West,  at 
the  head  of  a  grand  army.  He  led  his  forces  in  person 
till  they  reached  the  Umzimkulu.  Here  his  majesty  re- 
mained, reserving  one  regiment  for  his  own  protection, 
while  he  sent  the  remainder,  including  those  who  were 
armed  with  muskets,  on  a  plundering  expedition  into 
distant  regions  beyond.  It  would  seem  that  the  Amam- 
pondo  people  had  not  recovered  sufficiently  from  former 
fieecings  to  make  it  an  object  with  Chaka  to  plunder 


HISTORICAL. 


75 


them  again  at  present ;  or,  at  any  rate,  as  lie  had  now 
both  force  and  time  enough  to  go  farther,  he  would  not 
suffer  his  army  to  touch  them  or  their  cattle  until  it 
should  return  from  a  foray  farther  on.  Hence,  leaving 
Faku  and  his  people  unmolested  in  the  forests  to  which 
they  had  resorted  as  a  refuge  from  the  storm,  the  Zulus 
passed  on  beyond  the  Umzimvubu  to  the  Umtata  re- 
gion ;  coming  within  two  days'  march  of  Hinza's  people 
on  the  west  of  the  Bashee,  or  St.  John's  River. 

The  terror  of  the  bloody  chief  spread  through  all  the 
tribes,  down  to  the  very  borders  of  the  Cape  Colony  ; 
so  that  a  company  of  English  troops,  together  with  a 
volunteer  corps  of  the  Colonists,  deemed  it  necessary  to 
go  out  to  meet  and  turn  them  back.  These  Colonial 
forces  did  great  execution ;  but  their  bullets  and  blows 
were  directed  against  the  wrong  party, — some  of  the 
unoffending  people  of  Kafirland,  instead  of  the  ravaging 
Zulus  ;  these  having  turned  back  long  before  the  white 
man  had  begun  to  approach  them.  Having  fallen  upon 
three  or  four  tribes  and  taken  ten  thousand  head  of 
cattle,  these  swift-footed  foes  from  the  North-East  were 
far  away  on  their  homeward  march,  exulting  in  their 
success,  ere  the  Colonial  forces  came  down  upon  the 
poor,  unfortunate  tribe  of  Amangwana  under  Umati- 
wane,  on  the  Umtata,  some  of  whom  they  shot,  and 
from  whom,  with  the  help  of  an  auxiliary  force  of  five 
thousand  Kafirs,  they  are  said  to  have  taken  twenty 
thousand  head  of  cattle,  which  they  delivered  over  to  a 
neighboring  tribe,  the  Tembus,  and  then  returned  home 
in  great  triumph. 

Returning  from  this  expedition  to  the  South-"VYest, 
the  Zulu  monarch  sent  off  his  men  at  once  to  the  North- 


76 


ZULU-LAND. 


East,  to  make  a  plundering  attack  upon  Usosliengane, 
"who  was  now  living  somewhere  beyond  Delagoa  Bay, 
whither  he  had  retired  with  the  hope  of  escaping  the 
hands  of  the  mighty  marauder,  from  whom  he  had  suf- 
fered not  a  little  on  former  occasions. 

It  was  during  the  absence  of  his  army  on  this  north- 
ern expedition  that  Chaka,  who  remained  at  home  at 
his  great  Kraal  Utukusa  on  the  Umvoti,  was  slain.  The 
deed  was  committed  in  open  day,  on  or  about  the  23d 
of  September,  1828.  Chief  among  the  conspirators 
were  two  of  the  king's  brothers,  Dingan  and  Umhlan- 
gane  ;  also  Umbopa,  one  of  his  servants,  by  whose  hand, 
as  many  allege,  the  fatal  stab  which  laid  the  king  in 
the  dust,  was  given.  It  would  be  wrong,  however,  to 
suppose  that  the  two  or  three  who  planned  and  executed 
this  deed  were  the  only  parties  who  were  interested  in 
it  or  approved  of  it.  No  doubt  they  felt  assured  that 
many  would  rejoice  to  see  the  tyrannical  reign  of  this 
ruler  at  an  end. 

Some  of  Chaka's  great  men,  chief  counselors,  who 
might  be  feared  as  adherents  to  the  cause  of  the  king, 
were  slain  the  same  day  ;  and,  on  the  next,  the  two 
brothers  fought  hand  to  hand  for  the  vacant  throne,  the 
soil  beneath  their  feet  still  wet  with  the  blood  which  but 
yesterday  they  were  united  in  spilling.  Dingan  pre- 
vailed, slew  Umhlangane,  assumed  the  government,  and 
sent  messengers  to  inform  the  army  of  what  had  been 
done,  and  to  say  that  all  was  done  for  the  good  of  the 
nation, — for  the  peace  and  safety  of  soldier  and  citizen. 
After  two  months  the  army  returned  from  one  of  the 
most  fruitless  forays  in  which  it  was  ever  engaged, 
having  been  not  only  decimated  in  battle,  but  also 


HISTOEICAL. 


7T 


grcatlj  1  sduced  hj  hunger,  fatigue,  and  exposure,  of 
the  severest  kind ;  so  that  most  of  them  were  twice  glad 
to  find  an  end  put  to  the  power  of  one  from  whom  they 
had  naught  but  death  to  expect  in  case  of  defeat  or  ill- 
success. 

Nor  would  you  wonder  that  the  stout-hearted  Zulu 
warrior  stood  in  such  dread  of  this  mighty,  marvelous 
man,  could  I  find  space  to  give  any  thing  like  an  ade- 
quate view  of  the  devastations  he  wrought  in  the  land. 
Of  the  two  or  three  scores  of  tribes  which  he  broke  up 
and  scattered,  or  the  remnants  of  which  he  incorporated 
with  his  own  nation,  during  the  early  and  more  san- 
guinary days  of  his  reign,  about  forty  have  been  able 
to  recover  more  or  less  of  a  tribal  name  and  standing 
in  the  land  since  his  death.  Others,  however,  shared  a 
worse  fate,  being  able  to  show  only  here  and  there  a 
feeble  fragment.  Some  of  those  who  fled  to  Kafirland 
were  held  and  treated  as  a  class  of  dependents,  virtually 
as  slaves,  subject  to  the  will  of  the  Kafirs  among  whom 
they  had  taken  refuge.  Eventually,  however,  most  of 
them  either  returned  to  Natal,  or  else  found  their  way 
down  to  the  Old  Colony,  where,  under  the  name  of 
Fingoes,  they  remain  to  this  day,  some  of  them  labor- 
ing for  the  white  people  at  Port  Elizabeth. 

Sanguinary  and  sad,  yet  not  altogether  devoid  of  in- 
struction, or  at  least  matter  for  reflection,  are  the  facts  of 
which  so  brief  an  outline  is  here  given.  Whilst  showing 
what  the  Zulus  and  their  neighbors  have  done  and  sufiered 
in  times  of  ignorance ;  they  also  suggest  of  what  these 
people  may  be  capable  under  the  influence  of  better  mo- 
tives or  better  rule,  should  they  ever  be  brought  under 
the  power  of  Christianity.  If  "it  is  a  loss  to  uni- 
7  * 


78 


ZULU-LAND. 


versal  humanity  to  have  the  imprint  of  any  phase  of 
human  life  and  experience  entirely  blotted  out,"  it  may 
be  well  to  preserve  some  record  of  such  men  and  things 
as  were  seen,  known,  and  felt  among  the  Zulu-Kafirs 
under  the  reign  of  that  prodigy  of  a  prince,  that  African 
Bonaparte,  whose  name  recurs  so  often  in  the  preceding 
pages,  whose  name,  too,  will  not  be  forgotten  so  long  as 
there  shall  be  a  Zulu-Kafir  to  talk  of  Chaka's  great- 
ness or  to  swear  by  the  terrors  of  his  memory. 


BECOMES  A  BRITISH  COLONY. 


79 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

WHAT  THE  DUTCH  DID  AND  SUFFERED  IN  NATAL,  AND 
HOW  THE  DISTRICT  BECAME  A  BRITISH  COLONY. 

In  1837  tlie  Dutch  farmers  migrated  in  large  num- 
bers to  Natal,  coming  by  way  of  the  old  Cape  Colony, 
the  Orange  River,  and  the  Kwahlamba  range.  At  that 
time  the  District  of  Natal  was  in  the  hands  of  Dingan, 
chief  of  the  Amazulu,  most  of  whose  military  towns 
were  beyond  the  Tugela,  on  the  Umhlatusi  and  Imfolosi 
Rivers.  As  soon,  therefore,  as  the  Boers  arrived  they 
sent  a  deputation,  chief  of  whom  was  Pieter  Retief,  to 
confer  with  Dingan  and  get  permission  to  settle  in  Na- 
tal. The  Zulu  monarch  kept  Retief  waiting  three  days 
before  he  would  give  him  a  hearing,  telling  him  that  ho 
must  not  be  in  a  hurry,  but  rest  awhile,  and  give  himself 
up  to  amusement. 

Retief  describes  the  king's  house  as  beautiful,  of  a 
circular  form,  with  a  diameter  of  twenty  feet.  It  was 
supported  in  the  interior  by  twenty-two  pillars,  which 
were  entirely  covered  with  beads.  There  were  one 
thousand  and  seven  hundred  other  huts  in  the  same 
kraal,  or  village,  each  capable  of  containing  twenty  sol- 
diers. Two  days  were  spent  in  showing  Retief  the 
national  dances,  together  with  a  sample  of  their  militia. 


80 


ZULU-LAND. 


The  first  day  was  devoted  chiefly  to  the  performances 
of  the  younger  soldiers,  of  whom  there  were  about  two 
thousand  present ;  the  second,  to  the  veteran  warriors, 
the  number  of  whom  then  present  was  about  four  thou- 
sand. 

Retief  thought  their  dances  interesting  and  imposing ; 
but  "their  sham  fights,"  says  he,  "are  terrific  exhibi- 
tions. They  make  a  great  noise  with  their  shields  and 
kieries,  uttering  at  the  same  time  the  most  discordant 
yells  and  cries.  In  one  dance  the  people  were  inter- 
mingled with  one  hundred  and  seventy-six  oxen,  all 
without  horns  and  of  one  color.  They  have  long  strips 
of  skin  hanging  pendant  from  the  forehead,  cheeks, 
shoulders,  and  under  the  throat ;  these  strips  being  cut 
from  the  hide  when  the  animals  are  calves.  These 
oxen  are  divided  into  twos  and  threes  among  the  whole 
army,  which  then  dances  in  companies,  each  with  its 
attendant  oxen.  In  this  way  they  all  in  turn  approach 
the  king,  the  oxen  turning  ofi"  into  a  kraal,  and  the  war- 
riors moving  in  a  line  from  the  king.  It  is  surprising 
that  the  oxen  should  be  so  well  trained ;  for  notwith- 
standing all  the  shouting  and  yelling  which  accompa- 
nies this  dance,  yet  they  never  move  faster  than  a  slow 
walking  pace.  Dingan  showed  me  also,  as  he  said,  his 
smallest  herd  of  oxen,  all  alike,  red  with  white  backs. 
He  allowed  two  of  my  people  to  count  them,  and  the 
enumeration  amounted  to  two  thousand  four  hundred 
and  twenty-four.  I  am  informed  that  his  herds  of  red 
and  black  oxen  consist  of  three  to  four  thousand  each." 

Dingan  treated  the  Dutch  delegation  with  kindness ; 
but  said  they  needed  to  be  better  acquainted  with  each 
other ;  he  had  had  many  cattle  stolen  from  him  of  lato 


LECOMES  A  BRITISH  COLOXY. 


81 


by  people  wearing  clothes,  having  horses  and  guns,  and 
calling  themselves  Boers  ;  and  his  wish  was  that  Retief 
and  his  party  would  prove  themselves  innocmt  by  re- 
covering and  returning  the  cattle,  and  if  possible  the 
thieves,  to  him ;  and  he  would  then  grant  their  request 
for  land.  The  alleged  theft  being  attributed  to  Sikony- 
ela,  a  Mantatee  chief,  who  was  living  to  the  west  of 
Dingan's  realm,  on  the  sources  of  the  Caledon,  a  branch 
of  the  Nu  Gariep,  Retief  and  his  countrymen  accepted 
the  wily  Zulu's  proposal,  and  set  off  at  once  upon  an 
expedition  against  the  poor  Mantatee.  Obtaining  from 
him  about  seven  hundred  head  of  cattle,  sixty  horses, 
and  several  guns,  all  without  any  direct  attack  or  the 
shedding  of  blood,  was  counted  a  fortunate  enterprise. 

On  their  return  to  Natal  with  the  cattle,  the  Boers 
were  divided  as  to  the  manner  of  delivering  them  over 
to  Ding^n.  Gert  Maritz  offered  to  go  with  them,  tak- 
ing only  two  or  three  men  with  him,  arguing  that  the 
fewness  of  their  number  would  be  their  surest  safeguard : 
"if  they  were  destroyed  it  would  be  quite  enough." 
But  Retief  wished  to  take  a  large  party  of  mounted 
men,  thinking  this  would  inspire  the  Zulu  chieftain 
with  respect  and  awe,  and  make  him  more  willing  to 
ratify  and  keep  the  treaty  which  the  Boers  were  now 
proposing  to  make  with  him  about  land.  Retief,  how- 
ever, declined  issuing  any  order  for  parties  to  accom- 
pany him,  but  left  it  optional  for  them  to  go  or  stay  as 
they  might  please. 

It  was  in  the  latter  part  of  January,  1838,  that  Re- 
tief took  his  leave  of  the  emigrants'  encampment  about 
the  Bushman's  River,  an  upland  southern  branch  of  the 
Tugela,  to  go  on  his  second,  his  last  visit  to  the  great 


82 


ZULU-LAND. 


Black  King  of  Zulu-land.  He  "was  accompanied  by 
seventy  of  his  stalwart  countrymen,  besides  thirty  Hot- 
tentot after-riders,  or  servants,  with  extra  horses.  They 
reached  the  king's  capital,  XJmkungunhlovu,  the  second 
of  February,  and  delivered  over  the  cattle,  with  which 
Dingan  is  said  to  have  expressed  himself  highly  grati- 
fied. For  the  purpose  of  making  a  display  of  their 
arms,  their  prowess  and  power,  the  Boers  got  up  a 
sham  fight  on  horseback.  Dingan  professed  to  be  de- 
lighted w^ith  the  exhibition  and  asked  them  to  fire  a 
hundred  rounds.  But  the  thoughtful  Boer  did  not  care 
to  waste  his  powder.  Calling  together  several  of  his 
own  regiments,  the  Zulu  chieftain  for  two  days  kept 
them  "tripping  on  the  light  fantastic  toe,"  only  chang- 
ing now  and  then  "  from  lively  to  severe,"  by  introduc- 
ing a  few  sham  exercises  of  a  martial  character.  At 
length  the  great  object  of  the  Boers'  embassy  was  taken 
into  consideration,  and  Dingan  was  induced  to  afiix  his 
mark  to  a  paper  in  which  it  was  stated  that  he  "  re- 
signed to  Betief  and  his  countrymen  all  the  land  from 
the  Tugela  to  the  Umzimvubu,  and  from  the  sea  to  the 
north  as  far  as  it  might  be  useful  and  in  his  possession." 

The  farmers  were  now  ready  to  depart,  and  made  pre- 
parations to  do  so  early  the  next  morning.  But  Dingan 
had  other  things  in  mind.  Morning  came, — the  morn- 
ing of  February  6,  1838.  In  due  time,  the  king  took 
his  seat  on  his  throne,  having  two  of  his  regiments, — 
the  one  composed  of  veteran  warriors,  bearing  the  white 
shield,  and  wearing  the  ring  on  their  heads  as  a  badge 
of  their  manliness  and  bravery ;  the  other  a  company 
of  ardent,  daring  youth,  bearing  the  black  shield, — both 
arranged  in  their  usual  order  by  his  side.    The  farm- 


BECOMES  A  BRITISH  COLONY.  8B 

ers,  having  sent  a  few  of  tlieir  servants  to  bring  up  the 
horses,  came  in  to  bid  adieu  to  the  king ;  leaving  their 
guns,  as  on  other  days,  and  in  accordance  with  Zuhi- 
Kafir  etiquette,  without  the  gate.  Inviting  them  to  be 
seated — ^Retief  beside  himself  and  two  of  his  most  no- 
ble captains,  the  rest  at  a  little  distance, — the  king  of- 
fered them  native  beer,  Uhuchwala.  While  they  were 
partaking  freely  of  this,  he  asked  his  troops  who  had 
been  arrayed  in  a  circle,  to  favor  them  with  a  song  and 
a  dance.  In  the  midst  of  their  dance  and  song,  and 
whilst  the  Boers  were  drinking,  the  king  cried  out,  Bu- 
lalani  'hatakati! — "Kill  ye  the  wizards  !"  In  a  mo- 
ment, one  fierce,  fatal  rush  was  made  upon  the  farmers 
and  their  attendants,  and  not  a  man  of  them  escaped. 
All  were  killed ;  and  their  mangled  corpses  dragged  to 
a  hillock,  not  far  away,  were  left  a  prey  to  the  vulture, 
the  wolf,  and  the  wasting  elements. 

Of  course,  the  farmers  ofi'ered  what  resistance  they 
could ;  but  in  vain.  Several  made  an  attempt  to  es- 
cape by  flight ;  and  one,  being  swift  of  foot,  ran  a  long 
way  before  he  was  taken ;  but  the  speed  of  his  many 
pursuers  was  too  much  for  him.  The  Zulu  chieftain 
had  evidently  heard  not  a  little  about  the  Boers  before 
that  day  of  slaughter  ;  and  it  is  said  that  Retief  and  his 
party  would  have  fallen  in  this  way  on  their  first  visit 
to  the  capital,  had  one  of  the  king's  captains  been 
prompt  to  execute  the  orders  Avith  which  he  had  been 
entrusted. 

Dingan  now  ordered  the  heart  and  liver  of  the  Dutch 
leader,  Retief,  to  be  taken  out  and  brought  to  him,  and 
then  to  be  deposited  in  the  road  by  which  the  Boers  had 


84 


ZULU-LAND. 


come,  that  all  wlio  should  attempt  a  similar  approach 
might  be  cast  down  and  killed  on  the  road. 

Knowing  full  well,  that  '^when  things  are  once  come 
to  the  execution,  there  is  no  secrecy  comparable  to  ce- 
lerity," Dingan  did  not  sleep  till  he  had  sent  off  ten 
regiments  to  attack  and  destroy  the  rest  of  the  Boers, 
who  were  now  stopping  in  their  wagons  and  encamp- 
ments on  the  south  of  the  Tugela.  Nor  did  the  expe- 
dition prove  a  failure.  It  would  seem  that  the  doubts 
and  fears  which  a  majority  of  the  Boers  had  as  to  the 
good  faith  of  Dingan  had  strangely  subsided  after  their 
leader  had  left  with  the  cattle  for  the  capital.  The  men 
who  remained  at  home  were  giving  themselves  up  to  the 
pleasures  of  the  chase ;  while  the  women  were  all  at 
ease,  or  only  preparing  for  the  return  of  husband,  bro- 
ther, or  friend.  The  day  before  the  army  reached 
them,  there  was  a  vague  rumor  that  all  was  not  well ; 
and  a  small  patrol  was  sent  out  beyond  the  Tugela,  to 
see  if  there  was  any  truth  in  the  report  that  a  large 
party  of  Zulus  had  been  seen  in  that  neighborhood,  al- 
though the  ostensible  object  of  this  party  was  to  hunt 
buffaloes.  Advancing  towards  the  spot  where  the  Zulu 
army  was  lying  stealthily  ensconced  behind  a  hill,  the 
patrol  was  met  by  an  old  Zulu,  who  asked  where  they 
were  going.  On  being  told  that  they  were  in  search  of 
buffaloes,  he  pointed  them  in  another  direction,  where, 
he  said,  they  would  find  plenty.  The  Boers  kept  on, 
however,  till  the  old  man  went  before  them,  and  insisted 
so  hard  upon  their  changing  their  course,  that,  to  avoid 
suspicion,  they  consented  to  do  so,  though  not  till  they 
had  come  within  a  few  hundred  yards  of  the  hidden  foe. 


BECOMES  A  BRITISH  COLONY. 


85 


Returning  to  tlieir  encampment,  they  reported  that  all 
was  right. 

Meanwhile,  the  artful  Zulu  had  been  sending  out 
spies  to  learn  the  exact  situation  of  the  farmers,  their 
wagons,  tents  and  families,  their  flocks  and  herds.  And 
now,  on  the  second  day  ere  the  morn  had  fairly  dawned, 
their  enemy  was  ready  to  fall  upon  them. 

By  dividing  themselves  into  several  parties,  the  Zu- 
lus managed  to  attack  the  two  principal  encampments 
of  the  Boers  at  the  same  moment ;  one  at  the  Blaauw- 
kranz  River,  and  the  other  on  the  Bushman's,*  ten 
miles  distant.  The  wagons  were  surrounded,  and  many 
of  the  people  slain  before  they  had  risen  from  their  beds. 
The  cries  of  women  and  children  availed  nothing.  The 
slaughter  was  wild,  rapid,  indiscriminate.  So  complete 
was  the  surprise,  that  some  of  the  neighboring  Boers 
mistook  the  first  shots  fired  by  their  countrymen  in  self- 
defence,  for  a  salute  to  Retief  and  his  company.  But 
as  the  day  came  on,  they  began  to  see  their  condition 
and  to  rally  for  defence.  Here  and  there,  a  party  of 
half  a  dozen  might  now  be  seen,  some  in  the  garb  of 
night,  laboring  to  defend  themselves  and  families  from 
the  steel  of  their  foe.  Even  some  of  the  women  joined 
in  the  struggle,  trying  to  encourage  and  aid  the  men  by 
dealing  out  the  ammunition  as  they  required. 

The  Zulus  were  finally  repulsed  and  the  conflict 
brought  to  a  close.  The  number  of  the  slain,  on  the  side 
of  the  Dutch,  including  those  who  died  of  their  wounds, 
amounted  to  three  hundred  and  sixty-six  white  people, 
besides  two  hundred  and  fifty  of  the  colored  attendants. 

*  Both  affluents  of  the  Tugela  River. 

8 


86 


ZULU-LAND. 


The  number  of  the  Zulus  that  fell,  was  estimated  at  five 
hundred. 

In  the  early  part  of  April,  the  Farmers  made  out  a 
commando  of  about  four  hundred  mounted  men  to  take 
vengeance  on  Dingan  for  the  evil  he  had  done  them. 
After  several  days'  cautious  advance,  being  within  half 
an  hour's  ride  of  the  king's  great  town,  they  were  met 
and  surrounded  by  the  Zulus ;  and  after  a  desperate 
encounter  of  more  than  an  hour,  they  were  glad  to  turn 
back,  leaving  the  king's  forces  in  possession  of  a  hardly 
earned  victory. 

Never  stoops  the  soaring  vulture 

On  his  quarry  in  the  desert. 

On  the  sick  or  wounded  bison, 

But  another  vulture,  watching 

From  his  high  aerial  look-out. 

Sees  the  downward  plunge,  and  follows ; 

And  a  third  pursues  the  second, 

Coming  from  the  invisible  ether, 

First  a  speck,  and  then  a  vulture, 

Till  the  air  is  dark  with  pinions." 

While  the  Zulu  is  occupied  with  the  Boer  in  the  up- 
per part  of  the  District,  a  few  Englishmen  at  the  Port 
make  out  a  predatory  force  of  about  a  thousand  men, 
Hottentots,  natives,  and  others,  to  go  up  the  coast  in 
search  for  cattle  and  other  Zulu  plunder.  In  about  two 
weeks  they  return  much  elated  with  their  success,  bring- 
ing with  them  three  thousand  head  of  cattle,  together 
with  a  large  number  of  women  and  children.  This  ex- 
pedition succeeded  so  well  that  another  is  made,  consist- 
ing of  about  three  thousand  natives,  thirty  Hottentots, 
and  eighteen  Englishmen.  Reaching  the  field  of  plun- 
der they  are  met  by  the  Zulu  and  nearly  all  slain.  Of 


BECOMES  A  BRITISH  COLONY. 


8T 


the  white  men  only  four  or  five  escape,  and  only  two 
or  three  of  the  Hottentots. 

Dingan  was  now  prepared  to  avenge  himself  for  the 
three  thousand  head  of  cattle,  the  women  and  children, 
which  the  previous  English  party  had  taken  from  him, 
under  pretence  of  supporting  the  cause  of  the  Boers. 
Three  or  four  days  found  his  army  fitted  out  and  on  the 
march  for  Natal.  Expecting  its  speedy  arrival,  the  few 
white  people,  including  two  or  three  missionaries,  (as 
Owen  and  Lindley,)  who  were  at  the  Bay,  took  refuge 
on  board  the  "  Comet,"  a  brig  now  lying  there,  detained 
beyond  its  time  by  the  illness  of  the  captain.  The  na- 
tives of  that  neighborhood,  having  no  ship  to  which 
they  could  resort  for  protection,  prepared  to  hide  in  the 
rocks  and  bushes  that  skirt  the  Bluff  and  Bay. 

Scarcely  had  the  people  about  the  Bay  found  hiding- 
places  on  ship-board  or  among  clifis  and  jungles,  when, 
on  the  24th  of  April,  they  saw  Dingan's  forces  hurry- 
ing towards  them  in  two  large  bodies,  the  black  shields 
and  the  white,  prepared  to  take  or  destroy  all  that 
should  fall  in  their  way.  They  met  with  no  resistance. 
So  sudden  and  rapid  was  their  progress  that  the  people 
to  the  west  of  the  Bay,  on  the  Umlazi  and  farther  on, 
knew  nothing  of  their  approach  till  they  saw  them  at 
hand.  The  mission-houses  at  Ifumi  were  burnt  to  the 
ground ;  those  at  Umlazi  were  left  standing,  the  brand 
that  was  stuck  in  the  roof  failing  to  do  the  work  as- 
signed it.  Having  swept  the  country  of  its  cattle,  and 
taken  such  other  property  as  they  counted  valuable, 
after  three  days  of  havoc  and  plunder  they  returned 
to  the  Zulu  country. 

Toward  the  end  of  tne  year  the  Boers  prepared  to 


88 


ZULU-LAND. 


resume  hostilities  against  their  wily  foe.  With  a  force 
of  four  hundred  and  fifty  mounted  men  they  start  for 
Zulu-land,  taking  their  wagons  with  them.  After  two 
or  three  weeks'  travel  they  approach  the  capital,  meet 
the  enemy,  and  hold  their  ground.  The  king  sets  fire 
to  his  great  town  and  retires.  The  Boers  advance,  col- 
lect what  cattle  and  other  property  they  can  find,  and 
return  home,  feeling,  however,  that  the  monarch's  power 
is  not  yet  broken. 

On  reaching  Natal  the  Boers  found  a  detachment  of 
British  troops  come  to  take  military  possession  of  the 
Bay  and  country  adjacent,  and  to  prevent  the  aggres- 
sive operations  which  the  Dutch  were  now  prosecuting. 
The  captain  in  command  signified  to  all  parties,  Dutch 
and  Zulu,  that  they  should  cease  fighting  and  seek  peace. 
In  the  early  part  of  1839  a  treaty  was  formed  between 
Dingan  and  the  farmers,  yet  neither  had  confidence  in 
the  other,  least  of  all  the  Boer  in  the  Zulu. 

It  was  at  this  juncture  that  Umpande,  Dingan's  bro- 
ther, revolted,  and  went  over  with  a  large  part  of  the  Zulu 
nation  to  the  side  of  the  white  man.  The  English 
troops  having  been  recalled,  the  Boers,  in  the  early  part 
of  1840,  made  another  military  expedition  against  Din- 
gan, having  Umpande  with  four  thousand  of  his  best 
warriors  as  an  ally.  After  fighting  between  Umpande 
and  Dingan,  the  latter  was  worsted  and  driven  beyond 
the  confines  of  his  realm. 

Advancing  in  pursuit  of  the  conquered  and  fleeing 
'  enemy,  the  Dutch  commando  reached  the  Pongolo  river 
on  the  8th  of  February.  Here  they  learned  that  Din- 
gan, having  with  him  only  about  a  hundred  warriors, 
some  of  his  heroes,  and  a  few  herdsmen,  had  crossed  the 


BECOMES  A  BRITISH  COLONY. 


89 


river  five  days  previous.  Umpande's  chief  captain, 
Nongalaza,  was  left  to  watch  for  the  deserted  and  fugi- 
tive monarch,  who,  not  long  after,  was  assassinated  by 
warriors  of  the  Amaswazi  tribe,  and  thus  closed  his 
career  of  violence,  rapine,  and  blood.  The  Boers  turned 
back,  bending  their  steps  towards  the  Black  Folosi 
which  they  reached  on  the  evening  of  the  9th.  Here 
they  remained  till  the  14th,  and  hearing  that  Nongalaza 
could  learn  nothing  more  about  Dingan,  and  that  he 
had  captured  and  collected  all  the  cattle  that  he  could 
find,  they  gave  him  orders  to  return.  Now,  and  here, 
amid  the  firing  of  guns,  the  Boers  declare  Umpande 
sole  king  of  the  Zulus,  and  that  their  own  sovereignty 
shall  extend  in  future  from  the  Black  Folosi  {Imfolosi 
Emnyama)  to  the  Umzimvubu,  and  from  the  sea  to  the 
Drakensberg.  After  a  great  "hurrah"  they  all  cried 
out :  "  Thanks  to  the  great  God,  who,  by  his  grace,  has 
given  us  the  victory  !" 

Having  arranged  for  a  distribution  of  the  thirty-five 
or  forty  thousand  head  of  cattle  which  were  taken  on 
this  expedition,  the  victorious  army  returned  home. 

But  the  day  of  their  rejoicing  was  short.  The  British 
government  had  endeavored  from  the  first  to  dissuade 
them  from  the  course  they  were  taking ;  nor  was  it  now 
willing  to  admit  the  claim  they  set  up  to  be  acknow- 
ledged a  free  and  independent  people.  The  manner  in 
which  the  Boers  treated  the  natives,  seizing  their  chil- 
dren and  binding  them  out  to  service,  which  the  Eng- 
lish regarded  as  little  else  than  virtual  slavery,  hastened 
a  collision. 

Having  nothing  to  fear  from  the  Zulus  on  the  north- 
east, the  Boers  turn  their  attention  to  the  south-west. 

8  * 


90 


ZULU-LAXD. 


Alleging  that  Uncapai  and  his  people  had  assisted  some 
Bushmen  to  steal  their  cattle,  thej  collect  a  mounted 
force  of  about  two  hundred  men,  go  out  against  the 
chieftain,  make  an  attack  upon  him,  kill  a  hundred  and 
fifty  of  his  men,  take  three  thousand  head  of  his  cattle, 
abduct  a  company  of  women  and  children,  and  return 
home. 

The  British  government  now  sent  two  hundred  and 
twenty  men  overland  from  the  old  colony  to  resume  mili- 
tary occupation  of  the  port  and  surrounding  country. 
These  arrived  in  May,  1842,  and  pitched  their  camp 
at  Durban,  near  the  Bay.  The  Boers  sent  word  to  the 
officer  in  command,  Captain  Smith,  to  withdraw  from 
Katal  forthwith,  or  they  would  drive  him  away.  To 
this  the  gallant  Captain  returned  reply  that  he  had  or- 
ders to  take  the  place,  but  none  to  leave  it.  The  Boers 
sent  out  a  party  and  drove  off  six  hundred  head  of  oxen 
belonging  to  the  Captain's  baggage  wagons.  The  Eng- 
lish attacked  the  camp  of  their  foe  (May  23)  at  Kon- 
gela,  but  were  repulsed  with  a  loss  of  thirty-four  killed, 
sixty-three  wounded,  and  six  missing,  leaving  two  six- 
pounders  in  the  hands  of  the  enemy. 

Having  despatched  a  messenger  to  the  Cape  of  Good 
Hope,  urging  the  necessity  of  a  reinforcement,  the 
Captain  now  resolved  to  concentrate  what  strength  he 
had,  make  the  bes^  use  of  his  limited  stores,  and  hold 
out  to  the  last.  On  the  morning  of  the  31st  the  be- 
sieged captain  was  suddenly  saluted  with  a  six-pound 
shot,  which  went  through  the  officers'  mess-room,  send- 
ing pots  and  kettles  flying  in  all  directions.  During 
the  day  upwards  of  a  hundred  balls  were  thrown  in 
upon  them,  with  an  incessant  fire  of  musketry.  The 


BECOMES  A  BRITISH  COLONY. 


91 


bombardment  was  kept  up  from  day  to  day  until  the 
besiegers'  ammunition  began  to  grow  short.  Meantime, 
their  nights  were  spent  in  digging  approaches  to  the 
camp.  The  bombardment  was  resisted  with  courage, 
and  on  several  occasions  parties  were  sent  out  by  night 
to  destroy  the  works  of  the  enemy.  The  want  of  water 
was  met  by  a  well,  which  the  captain  dug  within  the 
encampment ;  and,  to  eke  out  their  scanty  store  of  pro- 
visions the  few  remaining  cattle  were  killed  and  the 
flesh  made  into  biltong,  (as  the  Dutch  say,)  cut  into 
strips,  salted,  and  dried,  and  the  issue  reduced  to  hjjf 
a  pound  a  day,  with  a  little  biscuit,  biscuit-dust,  or 
rice  at  half  allowance.  When  this  failed,  the  horses 
were  killed  and  made  in  like  manner  into  biltong, 
their  forage-corn  being  ground  into  meal  to  take  the 
place  of  biscuit-dust  and  rice.  The  sick  and  wounded 
were  suffering  greatly,  being  obliged  to  lie  in  the 
trenches  dug  within  the  encampment. 

At  length,  on  the  night  of  the  24th,  after  a  month's 
siege,  the  sight  of  several  rockets,  sent  up  from  the  sea, 
assured  them  that  help  was  nigh.  On  the  26th,  Lieut. 
Col.  Cloete  landed  and  relieved  them  in  right  gallant 
style. 

Having  taken  possession  of  the  Port,  Colonel  Cloete 
followed  the  enemy  to  Kongela ;  but  all,  save  a  small 
party  of  scouts,  had  fled  to  another  encampment  ten  or 
twelve  miles  distant.  Protection  was  now  ofiered  to  all 
who  were  disposed  to  acknowledge  allegiance  to  Her 
Majesty.  The  Boers  held  out  for  a  time ;  but  on  the 
15th  of  July,  1842,  they  made  a  solemn  declaration  of 
their  submission  to  the  Queen  and  obtained  a  pardon, — 


92 


ZULU-LAND. 


all  save  four,  for  whose  apprehension  a  reward  of  a  thou- 
sand pounds  was  offered. 

Among  the  conditions  of  the  treaty,  it  was  stipulated 
that  the  Emigrant  Farmers,  releasing  all  prisoners, 
giving  up  all  cannon,  and  making  a  restitution  of  all 
public  and  private  property,  should  be  allowed  to  retain 
their  existing  institutions,  for  the  present,  subject,  of 
course,  to  Her  Majesty's  supremacy.  The  tenure  of 
their  lands  was  to  be  left  to  the  adjudication  of  the 
English  government.  The  natives,  or  "  Kafirs"  as  they 
were  called,  were  to  remain,  for  the  present,  in  the  un- 
molested occupation  of  lands  upon  which  they  were  re- 
siding when  Her  Majesty's  troops  arrived,  subject  to 
such  future  arrangements  as  the  government  might  find 
it  necessary  to  make  for  general  security. 

Affairs  remained  in  this  state  until  the  whole  subject 
could  be  referred  to  the  Home  government ;  when  the 
Queen  was  pleased  to  approve  the  course  which  her  re- 
presentatives had  pursued,  and  to  signify  her  pleasure 
to  recognize  and  adopt  the  District  of  Natal  as  a  British 
colony.  Accordingly  a  proclamation  to  this  effect  was 
issued  at  the  Cape,  on  the  12th  of  May,  1843,  and 
proper  means  taken  to  regulate  the  affairs  of  the  dis- 
trict in  accordance  with  the  terms  on  which  it  was  to  be 
made  a  colony. 

The  chief  reason  given  for  adopting  Natal  as  a  co- 
lony was  to  secure  the  common  good  of  the  people — 
"  the  peace,  protection,  and  salutary  control  of  all 
classes  of  men  settled  at  and  surrounding  this  important 
portion  of  South  Africa."  Hence  the  three  indispen- 
sable conditions,  on  which  the  Emigrants  would  be  al- 
lowed to  occupy  the  territory  in  question  were :— 


BECOMES  A  BRITISH  COLONY. 


93 


"  1st.  That  there  shall  not  be,  in  the  eye  of  the  law, 
any  distinction  or  disqualification  whatever,  founded  on 
mere  distinction  of  color,  origin,  language,  or  creed ; 
but  that  the  protection  of  the  law,  in  letter  and  in  sub- 
stance, shall  be  extended  impartially  to  all  alike. 

"  2d.  That  no  aggression  shall  be  sanctioned  upon 
the  natives  residing  beyond  the  limits  of  the  colony, 
under  any  plea  whatever,  by  any  private  person,  or  any 
body  of  men,  unless  acting  under  the  immediate  au- 
thority and  orders  of  the  government. 

"  3d.  That  slavery,  in  any  shape,  or  under  any  modi- 
fication, is  absolutely  unlawful,  as  in  every  other  portion 
of  Her  Majesty's  dominions." 

In  1844,  the  Queen  gave  directions  to  annex  Natal 
to  the  Cape  Colony ;  the  year  following  she  instituted 
a  separate  government  over  it ;  in  1847,  it  received  a 
Legislative  Council ;  and  in  1856,  it  was  erected  into  a 
separate  colony  under  a  Lieutenant  Governor,  and  fa- 
vored with  a  kind  of  representative  system, — the  Legis- 
lative Council  being  made  to  consist  of  sixteen  members, 
of  whom  twelve  are  chosen  by  the  people  ;  and  the  rest, 
to  wit,  the  Secretary  to  Government,  the  Secretary  for 
Native  Afiairs,  the  Attorney  General,  and  the  Colonial 
Treasurer,  are  appointed  by  the  Crown. 

When  Queen  Victoria  adopted  Natal  as  an  English 
colony,  she  came  into  possession  of  a  gem  of  no  ordi- 
nary value ;  nor  is  it  often  that  a  new  land  makes  a 
surer,  steadier  advance  than  this  has  done,  since  it  came 
under  her  firm  and  benignant  rule. 


94 


ZULU-LAND. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

APPEARANCE  AND  PURSUITS  OF  THE  NATIVES. 

Time  was,  when  clothing,  sumptuous  or  for  use. 

Save  their  own  painted  skins,  our  sires  had  none. 

As  yet  black  breeches  were  not;  satin  smooth, 

Or  velvet?  soft,  or  plush  with  shaggy  pile : 

The  hardy  chief  upon  the  rugged  rock 

Washed  by  the  sea,  or  on  the  grav'ly  bank 

Thrown  up  by  wintry  torrents  roaring  loud, 

Fearless  of  wrong,  reposed  his  weary  strength.  Cowper. 

In  respect  to  the  bodily  form  and  carriage  of  this 
people,  every  one  is  ready  to  admit  that  they  are  well 
made,  of  good  stature,  generally  erect,  but  rather  slen- 
der, especially  the  men.  Their  average  height,  how- 
ever, is  hardly  equal  to  that  of  the  English  or  Ameri- 
can ;  though,  from  seeing  them  in  their  usual  unclad 
state,  one  would  think  them  taller  than  they  really  are. 
Their  frames  are  well  developed  ;  their  limbs  delicate, 
but  well  proportioned, — a  conformation  fitted  to  make 
them  more  agile  than  strong.  Hence  one  of  these  black 
men  running  on  foot  is  a  very  good  guide  for  a  white 
man  on  horseback.  And  yet  many  of  them,  especially 
the  women,  will  bear  a  heavy  burden  on  their  heads, 
and  carry  it  a  long  distance  without  much  difficulty. 

The  color  of  the  Zulu-Kafir  varies  in  diff"erent  indi- 


APPEARANCE  AXD  PURSUITS  OF  THE  NATIVES.  95 

viduals,  from  a  reddish  copper  color  to  a  jet  black ;  the 
prevailing  shade  is  a  very  dark  brown,  which,  in  their 
estimation,  is  of  all  colors  the  most  beautiful.  A  native 
of  Natal  would  count  it  no  compliment  to  be  called 
.  light-colored.  One  of  the  most  common,  yet  choicest 
of  the  titles  of  honor,  with  which  this  people  attempt  to 
praise  and  extol  their  king,  is  to  say  to  him,  "  Thou  art 
black/'  Nor  will  you  find  any  of  them,  especially 
among  the  young,  a  whit  less  indifferent  than  the  white 
man  as  to  their  complexion, — not  a  whit  less  proud  of 
a  clear,  deep  brown,  bordering  as  close  as  possible  upon 
a  pure  black,  than  any  Anglo-Saxon  is  of  the  fairest 
white.  Ask  any  of  these  dark-colored  gentlemen,  or 
ladies,  their  opinion  of  complexion,  and  they  will  an- 
swer, that  the  light  does  very  well  for  the  European ; 
but  for  themselves,  the  most  beautiful  is  just  their  own, 
blacTc  tvith  a  little  red.  Nor,  on  this  point,will  I  under- 
take to  dispute  their  judgment. 

Their  eyes  also  are  black,  and  often  sparkle  with 
merry  humor.  Their  teeth  are  generally  well  set,  and 
beautifully  white.  Their  countenance  bespeaks  cheer- 
fulness and  contentment.  Looking  at  the  large  mouth, 
thick  lip,  and  flat  nose  of  one,  then  at  the  small  well- 
formed  mouth,  straight  lip,  and  aquiline  nose  of  an- 
other ;  on  the  one  hand,  at  the  woolly  hair,  and  often 
on  the  other,  at  the  open  face,  retiring  chin,  and  square 
forehead,  we  see  in  them  a  varied  configuration,  that 
oscillates  through  all  the  extremes  of  the  Negro  and  the 
European  type  On  the  whole,  the  Zulus  must  be 
pronounced  a  well-devCiOped,  and  fine-looking  race  of 
men.  ! 

Pass  we  now  from  his  person  to  his  habitation. 


96 


ZULU-LAND. 


In  looking  out  a  building  spot,  the  Zulu  generally 
finds  it  necessary  to  have  an  eye  to  several  things, — a 
fountain  or  stream  from  whence  to  get  water,  pasturage 
for  his  cattle  ;  a  few  patches  of  good  soil,  where  he  may 
dig  and  raise  Kafir  or  Indian  corn,  and  other  articles 
of  food ;  and  then  a  site  for  the  kraal,  where  the  water 
will  not  lodge  in  times  of  rain,  where  also  he  may  dig 
pits  in  the  earth  to  deposit  his  grain,  and  where,  again, 
he  will  not  be  too  much  exposed  to  bleak  winds,  and  cold, 
driving  storms.  Under  pure  native  law,  a  man  has  no 
right  to  build  any  where,  nor  at  all,  until  he  gets  per- 
mission from  his  chief  to  do  so ;  his  first  step  is  to  go 
and  ask  his  chief  for  a  place  to  build,  unless,  perchance, 
his  chief  may  have  given  him  one  without  his  asking. 

Having  selected  a  site,  he  goes  to  the  nearest  bush, 
or  jungle,  for  stakes  and  wattles  with  which  to  construct 
his  isibaya^  a  cow-pen  or  fold  for  his  cattle, — a  circular 
enclosure  from  two  to  four,  or  even  ten,  fifty,  or  a  hun- 
dred rods  in  diameter,  according  to  the  proposed  size 
of  the  kraal,  and  the  number  of  cattle  which  the  OAvner 
or  captain  of  the  kraal  may  have  to  provide  for.  Some 
of  the  great  king's  cattle-pens  were  made  to  enclose 
several  acres  of  land,  and  so  hold  immense  herds,  thou- 
sands of  head.  In  those  sections  of  the  country  where 
little  or  no  wood  grows,  the  pen  is  built  of  stones  or 
sods. 

Having  completed  the  isibaya,  so  far  at  least  that  it 
will  serve  to  keep  his  cattle  for  the  present,  the  next 
thing  is  to  erect  a  hut  or  house, — inhlu,  plural  izinhlu, 
one  for  himself,  and  one  for  each  wife,  mother,  or  other 
dependent.  These  huts,  built  of  wattles,  sustained  by 
two  or  three  posts  in  the  central  parts,  and  covered  with 


APPEARANCE  AND  PURSUITS  OF  THE  NATIVES.  97 


thatch, — some  kind  of  coarse  grass, — are  planted  in  a 
circle  around  the  cattle-pen,  at  the  distance  of  two  or 
three  yards  from  it,  and  about  twice  that  distance  from 
each  other ;  his  own  being  at  the  upper  or  backside  of 
the  establishment,  while  the  rest  lead  off  on  each  side 
till  the  circular  fold  is  enclosed  by  the  two  wings, — pro- 
vided h&  has  wives  and  other  dependents  enough  to  fill 
out  the  circle. 

In  former  days,  when  war  or  predatory  incursions 
were  common,  it  was  more  customary  than  now  for 
several  men  to  unite  and  build  together,  all  in  one 
kraal,  for  material  aid  and  security.  These  huts,  being 
hemispherical  in  form,  and  thatched  with  grass,  look  very 
much  like  so  many  hay-cocks  twelve  or  fifteen  feet  in 
diameter,  and  so  high  that  a  man  can  generally  stand 
upright  in  the  center,  especially  if  he  takes  his  hat  off, 
and  does  not  mind  the  cock-roaches,  smoke,  or  soot,  in 
which  the  roof  commonly  abounds.  A  single  aperture 
at  the  lower  side  of  the  hut,  arched  at  the  top,  only 
about  eighteen  inches  wide,  and  two  feet  high,  (measur- 
ing from  the  earth  up,)  serves  for  both  door  and  win- 
dows. Of  course,  all  the  inhabitants,  save  the  small 
children,  the  dogs,  the  goats,  sheep,  and  calves,  must 
creep  in  and  out  on  their  hands  and  knees.  A  small 
space  near  the  door,  on  one  side  of  this  one-roomed 
house,  is  usually  laid  off  for  the  calves  and  the  other 
quadrupeds,  at  night,  to  keep  them  from  the  roaming 
wolf  or  leopard,  though  even  here  they  are  not  always 
safe.  Firewood,  calabashes,  and  other  water-pots,  cook- 
ing utensils,  the  mill-stone,  and  the  sleeping-mats,  fill 
up  the  rest  of  the  border  of  the  hut.  Near  the  central 
pillar,  and  on  the  side  towards  the  door,  is  the  firc- 
9 


98 


ZULU-LAND. 


place,  a  shallow,  basin-like  excavation,  scooped  out  in 
the  earth,  with  an  elevated  rim  of  molded  clay.  This 
clay,  as  also  that  of  which  the  floor  is  made,  is  usually 
brought  from  some  neighboring  ant-heap ;  when  it  is 
properly  wet,  pounded,  and  rubbed  down  with  a  stone, 
a  very  hard,  smooth,  and  durable  surface  is  obtained. 

In  the  evening,  and  through  most  of  the  day,  if  the 
weather  is  cold  or  wet,  gathered  around  this  fire-place, 
their  only  hearth-stone,  all  seated  on  their  haunches 
much  like  the  dogs  by  their  sides,  poking  the  fire  or 
putting  up  the  brands,  by  grinding  and  snuffing  their 
snuff,  smoking  their  pipe,  cooking  and  eating  their  food, 
cuffing  and  scolding  their  dogs,  narrating  exploits,  tell- 
ing the  news,  or  talking  the  merest  nonsense,  the  peo- 
ple pass  their  hours  in  what  they  consider  a  very  plea- 
sant and  comfortable  manner.  When  they  are  weary 
with  sitting,  snuffing,  smoking,  eating,  talking,  laugh- 
ing, if  nothing  worse,  the  hour  for  retiring  having  ar- 
rived they  spread  their  bed,  a  single  mat  made  usually 
of  some  kind  of  rush  or  flag,  and  with  a  block  of  wood 
for  a  pillow,  and  a  coarse  blanket  or  the  hide  of  some 
animal  for  a  covering,  lie  down  and  sleep  until  a  new 
day  dawns  upon  them. 

Around  the  fold  for  cattle  and  the  huts  for  the  peo- 
ple, some  kind  of  enclosure  is  usually  erected,  a  hedge 
or  wattled  fence,  like  that  of  which  the  fold  is  made, 
and  in  a  like  circular  form,  parallel  to  the  inner  enclo- 
sure ;  the  gate  of  each  being  on  the  same  side,  so  as  to 
make  a  straight  passage  through  the  two.  When  the 
people  felt  less  secure  than  they  now  do,  this  outer 
fence  was  made  strong,  and  at  night  the  outer  gate  was 
shut  with  all  available  strength  and  care,  the  way  being 


APPEAKANCE  AND  PURSUITS  OF  THE  NATIVES.  99 


tilled  up  with  stakes  and  thorny  bushes  so  as  to  make 
entrance  from  without  next  to  impossible. 

Passing  from  the  Umuzi,  or  Umzi,  plural  Imizi^  the 
village  or  hamlet,  or,  as  the  Dutch  say,  the  Kraal,  we 
come  to  the  Insimu,  or  garden,  plural  Amasimu.  These 
may  be  near  the  kraal,  or  far  away,  according  as  the 
people  can  find  patches  of  land  suited  to  their  ideas  of 
fitness  for  cultivation.  Such  places  may  be  nooks  of 
made-land  along  the  edges  and  angles  of  some  stream  ; 
or,  they  may  be  the  bushy  side  or  the  open  summit  of 
some  hillock.  The  field  having  been  selected,  it  is  the 
duty  of  the  men  and  boys  to  cut  away  the  brush ;  the 
work  erf  planting,  weeding,  and  harvesting  the  crop, 
being  assigned  to  the  women  and  girls.  Sometimes  the 
men  run  a  wattled  fence  round  the  garden,  to  protect  it 
from  cattle  by  day,  and  from  the  wild  boar  by  night ; 
otherwise,  the  herd-boy  must  keep  a  sharp  lookout  for 
the  cows,  calves,  and  goats,  for  three  months  ;  and  when 
the  corn  puts  out  the  ear,  the  men  must  guard  it  vigi- 
lantly, night  after  night,  rain  or  no  rain,  to  keep  it  from 
the  wary,  ravenous  pig  out  of  the  bush.  Of  course,  a 
new  order  of  things  is  gradually  introduced  among  those 
Avho  embrace  Christianity  ;  an  open,  level  field,  fit  for 
the  plow,  being  preferred  to  the  narrow,  stony,  or  preci- 
pitous patches,  which  must  be  dug  by  hand.  But,  in 
the  heathen  state  of  this  people,  the  poor  woman,  with 
her  pick  and  basket,  must  serve  as  plow  and  cart,  ox 
and  horse. 

The  season  for  planting  having  arrived,  she  takes  her 
babe,  if  she  has  one,  binds  it  upon  her  back  by  means 
of  a  goat-skin,  balances  a  basket  of  seed  on  her  head, 
lays  her  heavy  pick  on  her  shoulder,  and  goes  forth  to 


100 


ZULU-LAND. 


the  field  for  a  day's  work.  Sometimes  she  has  a  nurse 
to  care  for  the  child ;  sometimes  she  keeps  it  bound  to 
her  back,  or  she  lays  it  wrapped  in  the  goat-skin  on  the 
ground  by  her  side;  while  she  scatters  the  seed  and 
goes  on  to  labor,  hour  after  hour,  often  under  a  burn- 
ing sun,  swinging  her  rude  pick  of  eight  or  ten  pounds 
weight,  to  mellow  the  earth  and  prepare  it  to  bring 
forth  food  for  the  support  of  her  lord,  herself,  their 
children,  and  friends.  Her  day's  work  done,  she  re- 
turns home,  gathering  and  carrying  a  bundle  of  wood 
by  the  way ;  sends  the  children  to  the  brook  to  fill  their 
earthen  pots  and  calabashes  with  water ;  then,  as  tha 
sun  sinks  behind  the  hill,  she  prepares  to  cook  theii 
principal  meal. 

And  just  now  is  the  best  time  for  us  to  take  a  look 
at  her  pantry  and  cupboard,  her  crockery  and  kettles, — 
only  you  must  not  suppose  the  inventory  large.  There 
is  the  great  pot  in  which  she  cooks  her  umhila  or  ama-^ 
hele, — that  is,  maize  or  millet, — standing  on  a  tripod  of 
three  rough  stones,  while  the  faggots  blaze  beneath  and 
on  every  side.  Here,  too,  she  boils  her  vegetables, — 
greens,  pumpkins,  or  turnips, — and  occasionally  steams 
a  loaf  of  bread.  The  potlid  is  just  another  pot  of  the 
same  size,  inverted,  fitted  lip  to  lip,  one  upon  the  other, 
its  position  secured,  and  the  apertures  closed  by  the  use 
of  a  little  uhulongwe  from  the  cattle  fold,  the  same  article 
with  which  she  smears  the  floor  of  her  house  once  a 
week,  not  to  mention  sundry  other  important  uses  to 
which  the  people  are  wont  to  put  it ;  though  of  its  value 
as  a  fertilizer,  judging  from  their  neglect,  they  have 
little  idea.  These  great  pots,  as  also  the  few  bowls 
from  which  they  eat  their  crushed  corn  and  thick  milk, 


APPEARANCE  AND  PURSUITS  OF  THE  1<ATIVES.  101 


are  made  of  clay,  and  baked  in  some  furnace,  probably 
iln  ant-heap,  and  all  perhaps  by  the  woman  who  is  now 
using  them  to  prepare  an  evening  repast. 

The  corn  being  boiled,  this  woman-of-all-work  brings 
out  the  mill  to  mash  or  grind  it.  This  mill  is  one  of 
the  most  simple  of  all  machines — two  stones,  one  larger 
and  flatter,  six  inches  thick,  ten  or  twelve  wide,  and 
fifteen  or  twenty  long ;  the  other  a  small  oval-shaped 
cobble,  the  size  of  your  two  fists.  On  the  first,  a  little 
worn,  or  scooped  out  by  art  or  by  use,  or  by  both,  the 
grinder  lays  a  handful  of  corn,  which,  under  the  steady, 
compressed,  rocking  motion  which  she  gives  the  cobble,  as 
she  clinches  it  fast  with  both  hands,  and  throws  the 
strength  of  her  arms  and  much  of  the  weight  of  her  body 
upon  it,  soon  comes  out  mashed,  somewhat  like  the  po- 
mace of  apples  from  a  cider-mill,  and  falls  upon  a  mat, 
which  she  has  laid  under  the  front  edge  of  the  nether 
mill-stone.* 

Having  ground  her  grist,  she  puts  a  good  portion  of 
it  into  a  little  basket,  and  bears  it  away  to  her  husband, 
who,  night  having  set  in,  lights  a  straw  as  a  candle ; 
mingles  his  isicaha  and  amasi, — mashed  mealies  (or  corn) 
and  thick  milk, — takes  the  wooden  ladle,  which  is 
fashioned  from  a  good  bit  of  timber,  and  soon  devotes 
the  simple  dish  to  the  end  for  which  it  was  designed. f 
If  his  means  allow,  his  supper  comprises  several  courses, 

*  See  Frontispiece. 

f  It.  the  group  represented  in  the  Frontispiece,  (from  a  photograph  taken 
from  life),  we  have  the  wife  grinding  out  the  isicaha,  and  the  husband 
mixing  it  with  amaai  preparatory  to  its  consumption.  By  her  side  is  her 
pot  of  corn  and  basket.  A  man  with  spears,  and  a  woman  playing  a 
musical  instrument  called  the  xiguhu,  formed  from  a  calabash  and  bow,  [the 
e<nn^  of  which  escaped  the  eye  of  the  engraver],  are  members  of  the  group. 


102 


ZULU-LAND. 


each  course  consisting  of  a  single  dish.  Perhaps  he  will 
begin  with  meat,  which  may  be  either  broiled  or  boiled, 
and  served  on  the  mat,  which  took  the  grist  from  the  mill, 
and  answers  as  a  tray  for  numerous  domestic  purposes. 
For  a  carving  knife  he  uses  his  spear ;  for  a  fork,  his 
fingers. 

Their  ordinary  drinking  cup,  at  least  for  water  and 
for  home  use,  is  a  dipper  made  from  the  shell  of  a  gourd, 
of  which  they  grow  various  kinds.  For  heer  cups^  they 
may  use  a  large  earthen  pot,  or  bowl,  or  a  closely  woven 
basket,  holding  from  two  to  ten  quarts.  And  if  you 
ever  saw  two  or  three  pigs  after  they  had  drunk  their 
fill  of  whey,  you  have  some  idea  as  to  how  these  men 
generally  look  after  sitting  half  a  day  over  their  pots 
and  baskets  of  beer.  Their  mode  of  drinking  water 
from  a  brook,  when  traveling,  is  both  simple  and  in- 
structive, probably  just  that  which  is  spoken  of  in 
Judges  as  a  mark  of  the  men  with  whom  Gideon  was  to 
go  out  to  battle  against  the  Midianites.  If  the  stream 
be  small,  the  thirsty  man  stands  upon  the  brink,  forms 
the  fingers  and  palm  of  one  hand  into  a  shallow  kind 
of  spoon,  stoops  till  he  can  reach  the  water,  and  then 
by  a  series  of  peculiar,  sudden,  rapid  jerks,  tosses  the 
water  from  the  stream  to  his  mouth ;  or  if  the  stream 
be  broad  and  high,  he  wades  in,  and  tosses  the  water  as 
before,  yet  without  stooping,  perhaps  without  halting, 
but  drinking  as  he  goes,  lapping  the  w^ater  as  a  dog 
laps,  tossing  it  with  his  hands  as  a  dog  with  his  tongue 
to  his  mouth. 

Their  amasi,  or  thick  milk,  is  made  by  pouring  sweet 
milk  into  the  igula,  a  large  bottle-shaped  calabash,  where 
it  soon  undergoes  a  kind  of  fermentation,  or  acidulous 


APPEARANCE  AND  PVRSUITS  OF  THE  NATIVES.  103 

chemical  change,  from  being  speedily  leavened,  as  it 
were,  by  a  little  which  was  left  there  for  the  purpose 
when  the  previous  mess  was  poured  out.  The  whey 
which  is  generated  by  the  process  is  first  drawn  off,  and 
used  as  a  drink,  or  as  food  for  the  little  folks  ;  then 
comes  a  rich,  white,  inspissated  substance,  which  is 
neither  curd  nor  bonny-clabber,  nor  buttermilk,  nor  any 
thing  else  but  just  that  light,  acidulated,  healthy,  and, 
to  most  persons,  very  acceptable  dish  which  the  natives 
call  amasi. 

Having  been  through  the  house,  peeped  into  the 
pantry,  enumerated  and  described  their  cooking,  eating, 
and  drinking  utensils,  we  must  take  a  look  at  their  ham. 
As  to  a  house  for  horses  and  hay,  they  have  none  ;  since 
they  never  (until  of  late)  have  kept  horses,  and  never 
think  of  laying  up  any  thing  for  their  cattle.  As  to 
their  stables,  I  have  already  described  them,  that  for 
the  cows  and  oxen  being  the  circular  pen  within  the 
kraal ;  that  for  the  calves  and  goats  being  included  in 
their  own  huts.  All  we  can  find,  then,  is  a  corn-house, 
or  granary,  and  a  threshing  floor.  The  latter  consists 
of  a  hard,  smooth,  open  piece  of  ground,  such  as  we  read 
of  in  the  Scriptures,  prepared  sometimes  within  the  kraal, 
and  sometimes  outside,  where  the  ears  are  poured  down 
in  a  pile,  and  threshed  by  a  company  of  women,  who 
sit  round  and  beat  it  with  their  flails.  The  flail  is  no- 
thing more  than  a  staff,  four  or  five  feet  in  length,  and 
an  inch  or  so  in  thickness.  The  grain  is  winnowed  by 
pouring  it  from  one  basket  into  another  in  a  breeze. 

When  the  corn  is  brought  from  the  fields,  the  heads 
of  amabele,  which  look  much  like  broom-corn,  are 
stacked  for  a  time  in  heaps,  on  a  slender  frame  work ; 


104 


ZULU-LAND. 


the  ears  of  maize,  their  UmMIa,  the  Indian  corn  of 
America,  are  stored  for  a  few  months  in  cylindrical  bins 
of  reeds,  (native  ratan,)  or  other  kinds  of  wicker  work, 
which  are  also  raised  a  little  from  the  earth.  Here 
their  grain  may  stand,  save  what  is  required  for  imme- 
diate use,  till  the  winter  season  begins  to  set  in,  or 
about  the  month  of  May,  when  it  must  be  threshed  out 
and  deposited  in  air-tight  pits,  in  the  cattle  fold,  to  pro- 
tect it  from  the  ravages  of  the  weevil.  These  pits  are 
large  bottle-shaped  excavations  in  the  central  part  of 
the  cow-yard,  having  a  small  round  mouth,  about  a  foot 
wide,  (just  large  enough  for  a  man  to  let  himself  down 
through)  a  short  neck  of  two  feet ;  and  then  a  broad  in- 
ternal enlargement  in  all  directions,  making  a  hole  that 
will  contain  from  ten  to  fifty  or  a  hundred  bushels  of 
grain,  according  to  the  requirements  of  the  proprietor. 
The  grain  having  been  poured  in,  the  mouth  of  this 
great  underground  bottle  is  covered  over,  first  with  a 
flat  stone  or  something  of  the  kind,  and  next  with  earth 
or  the  contents  of  the  yard ;  and  left  for  the  cattle  to 
trample  and  press,  ajid  so  make  it  as  proof  as  possible 
against  air  and  moisture.  The  few  bushels  which  are 
taken  out  now  and  then  for  daily  use,  are  kept  in  the 
isilulu, — a  large  egg-shaped  basket,  made  of  twiste4 
and  woven  grass,  and  set  up  on  a  kind  of  stool,  like 
some  of  the  granaries  with  which  Dr.  Barth  met  in 
Northern  Africa.  The  natives  often  have  a  small  hut, 
set  up  on  poles  five  or  six  feet  from  the  ground,  in  which 
to  keep  their  seed-corn ;  ears  of  seed  are  sometimes 
kept  stuck  in  the  smoky  roofs  of  their  huts. 

Let  us  look  next  at  the  Zulu  wardrobe;  nor  can  I  have 
much  need  to  premise  that  here  wo  have  truly  a  scanty 


APPEARANCE  AND  PURSUITS  OF  THE  NATIVES.  105 

subject.  Judging  from  the  wretchedly  reduced  compass 
to  which  thej  have  brought  both  the  inventory  and  the 
size  of  their  garments,  one  would  think,  that,  disgusted 
with  the  excess  to  which  some  of  the  so-called  civilized 
races  have  gone  in  one  direction,  they  were  trying  to 
indicate  a  proper  medium  by  going  to  the  opposite  ex- 
treme. To  see  children  five  or  six  years  old,  going 
about  in  heathen  kraals  as  destitute  of  clothing  as  the 
new-born  infant  is  nothing  unusual ;  nor  do  the  adults 
appear  to  much  better  advantage.  The  isinene,  a  small 
apron  six  or  eight  inches  wide  and  about  twice  as  long, 
made  of  some  kind  of  skin  with  the  hair  or  fur  on,  and 
suspended  in  front,  from  a  girdle  about  his  loins,  and 
the  Umiicha,  of  a  little  larger  size  behind,  fully  satisfy 
the  Zulu's  idea  of  dress  for  men.  Sometimes  a  bunch 
of  furry  strips,  cut  from  the  skin  of  a  wild  cat,  or  other 
animal,  and  made  to  look  like  the  bushy  ends  of  half  a 
dozen  ox-tails,  possibly  the  veritable  tails  themselves, 
black,  white,  speckled  or  gray,  serve  in  place  of  the  one 
whole  bit  of  a  hide. 

For  a  woman,  the  usual  dress  is  half  a  cow-hide, 
tanned,  colored,  and  wrapped  about  the  loins,  so  as  to 
fall  half-way  to  the  feet,  more  or  less,  according  to 
the  size  of  the  skin,  or  the  rank  and  taste  of  the 
wearer. 

Upon  coming  of  age,  that  is,  to  be  married,  both  men 
and  women  shave  their  heads  ;  the  former  leaving  a 
ring,  the  latter  a  tuft  on  the  top.  This  ring,  or  nar- 
row track  of  hair,  which,  with  a  diameter  of  three  or 
four  inches,  extends  quite  round  the  crown,  is  sewed 
and  worked  up  with  a  thread  made  of  the  tendon  of  a 
cow,  and  a  kind  of  gum  mingled  with  charcoal,  by  means 


106 


ZULU-LAND. 


of  which  the  ring  nearly  an  inch  in  thickness,  becomes 
hard  as  a  cord,  black  as  a  coal,  and  shows  as  fine  a 
polish  as  ever  "Day  and  Martin"  could  bestow  upon  a 
pair  of  boots.  The  tuft  of  hair  on  the  crown  of  the  wo- 
man's head,  being  gathered  into  a  knot,  is  smeared  and 
held  together  with  a  mixture  of  grease,  and  red  ochre, 
which  is  obtained  from  a  soft  reddish  stone,  and  so  made 
to  take  the  name  of  redtop,  crest,  or  topknot.  There 
are  other  modes  of  dressing  the  hair  among  some  of  the 
tribes,  but  the  above  are  the  neatest  that  I  have  seen,  . 
and  by  far  the  most  common.  These  modes  have  at 
least  this  recommendation,  that  they  leave  no  large 
forest  or  jungle  to  serve  as  hiding-places  for  vermin. 

The  natives  of  South  Africa,  like  other  untutored 
tribes,  are  fond  of  ornaments.  It  would  take  no  little 
space  to  describe  the  kinds  and  colors  of  beads  which 
they  wear,  or  the  various  modes  of  wearing  them.  They 
seem  to  think  the  neck  is  the  best  place  for  them,  though 
it  would  be  difficult  to  name  any  part  of  the  body  to 
which,  in  their  estimation,  these  adornings  are  not 
adapted.  It  is  no  uncommon  thing  to  meet  a  young 
man  wearing  a  string  of  beads  astride  his  nose  and  over 
his  eyes,  like  a  pair  of  spectacles.  Sometimes  the  whole 
body  is  well-nigh  covered  with  them.  Beads  of  divers 
colors  are  woven  and  worn  as  a  ribbon  on  the  forehead, 
or  as  a  breastplate  upon  the  bosom.  Sometimes  you 
see  their  arms  and  ankles  profusely  decked  with  them. 
The  young  men  often  tie  themselves  about,  head  and 
shoulders,  neck  and  arms,  feet,  legs,  and  loins,  with 
strips  of  raw  hide,  instead  of  beads.  These  things  be- 
ing cut  and  twisted  with  the  hair  or  wool  all  on,  give 
the  body  a  rough,  savage  appearance.    In  hearing  the 


APPEARANCE  AND  PUKSUITS  OF  THE  NATIVES.  107 

Story  of  John  in  the  wilderness,  clothed  in  camel's  hair, 
with  a  girdle  from  the  skin  of  some  animal  about  his 
loins,  eating  locusts  and  wild  honey,  they  have  often 
looked  as  though  they  thought  him,  thus  far  at  least, 
related  to  themselves,  though  from  his  preaching,  ^'  Pre- 
pare ye  the  way  of  the  Lord,  and  bring  forth  fruits 
meet  for  repentance,"  they  nearly  all  with  one  consent 
pray  to  be  excused. 

Bracelets  of  shells,  armlets  of  brass,  and  glittering 
rings  are  worn  by  men,  women,  and  children.  Under 
a  proper  Zulu  dynasty,  however,  armlets  of  brass,  some 
of  which  are  broad,  heavy,  and  very  cumbersome,  judg- 
ing from  one  in  my  possession,  all  the  work  of  Zulu 
smiths,  being  counted  badges  of  the  highest  honor,  are 
allowed  to  be  worn  only  by  the  most  distinguished  per- 
sonages,— the  great  men  of  the  king,  and  some  of  his 
wives.  Various  roots,  pieces  of  bark,  bits  of  wood, 
bones,  horns,  hoofs,  teeth  and  claws  of  bird,  beast,  or 
creeping  thing,  are  worn  rather  as  amulets,  or  charms, 
than  as  ornaments  ;  though  to  the  ornamental  class  I 
suppose  we  must  assign  most  of  the  feathers  which  they 
are  wont  to  stick  in  their  hair.  Some  of  these  are 
taken  from  the  tail  of  the  common  cock,  some  from  the 
hawk  and  other  birds ;  but  the  longest  and  most  valued 
are  the  rich  and  gaudy  plumes  of  the  ostrich  or  peacock. 

It  is  not  uncommon  to  see  a  regular  series,  or  a  clus- 
ter of  scars  on  the  arm  or  bosom  of  a  female,  where  the 
skin  has  been  cut  or  burned  for  the  purpose,  thus  to  im- 
prove her  looks.  Similar  scars  are  made  by  incisions 
into  which  medicines  are  introduced.  I  have  seen  the 
whole  body  covered  with  little  gashes  which  the  doctor 
vfas  making  and  filling  with  what  looked  to  me  like  a 


108 


ZULU-LAND. 


mixture  of  charcoal  and  ashes, — doubtless  the  charred 
and  powdered  bones  and  ashes  of  a  snake.  The  most 
of  the  people  have  their  ears  perforated  in  their  younger 
days,  and  then  keep  the  holes  filled  and  stretched  with 
bits  of  wood  till  they  grow  large  enough  to  hold  their 
snuff-box,  some  ivory  knob,  or  other  ornament. 

Here  I  must  remark  that,  with  the  Zulu-Kafir,  the 
snuff-box  and  the  things  which  appertain  thereunto,  are 
deemed  a  social  institution  of  surpassing  importance. 
The  tobacco  is  usually  grown  on  the  deserted  site  of 
some  old  kraal,  of  which  place  in  a  populous  district, 
there  can  be  no  lack,  since  the  people  usually  change 
their  site  every  two  or  three  years.  Their  tobacco  be- 
ing duly  cured  and  required  for  the  box,  it  is  ground, 
and  often  mixed  with  the  ashes  of  an  aloe  leaf  to  give  it 
greater  pungency.  Of  boxes  for  carrying  snuff  they 
have  a  great  variety.  Some  are  made  of  a  hollow  reed; 
some  of  a  small  gourd  ;  some  are  wrought  from  the  horn 
of  a  buffalo.  The  horn  is  hung  to  the  neck ;  the  reed, 
generally  carried  in  the  ear ;  the  gourd  in  a  little  sack 
tied  to  the  girdle  about  their  loins. 

Then  comes  the  spoon  with  which  the  native  is  to 
convey  his  snuff  from  his  box,  or  rather  from  the  hol- 
low of  his  hand  to  his  nostrils.  This  is  made  of  ivory 
or  bone,  and  carried  sometimes  in  the  ear,  and  some- 
times stuck  in  the  hair  or  under  the  headring,  for  which 
the  three  or  four-tined  handle  is  well  fitted. 

The  general  rule  for  taking  snuff  is, — as  to  time, 
when  one  man  meets  another,  when  he  is  tired,  sleepy, 
or  lazy,  when  he  can  afford  it,  and  when  he  has  nothing 
else  with  which  to  amuse  or  occupy  himself;  as  to  amount, 
until  it  makes  the  tears  come  in  his  eyes  ;  as  to  manner, 


APPEARANCE  AND  PURSUITS  OF  THE  NATIVES.  109 

as  follows  : — calling  his  comrades  round  him,  or  meet- 
ing friends  on  the  road,  he  takes  a  seat  with  them  on 
the  ground ;  after  a  little  bantering  as  to  who  shall 
furnish  the  snuff,  he  takes  out  his  calabash,  horn,  or 
reed,  picks  out  the  stopper,  pours  a  pile  into  his  left 
hand,  from  which,  having  first  supplied  the  rest,  he  fills 
his  own  spoon,  applies  it  to  his  nose,  and  begins  to  in- 
hale. If  the  tears  delay  to  come,  he  opens  his  mouth, 
yawns,  at  the  same  time  draws  the  ends  of  his  little 
fingers  from  his  eyes  downward,  as  if  to  give  the  tears 
a  start  and  make  a  channel  for  them.  These  beginning 
to  flow,  his  enjoyment  is  complete ;  nor  could  he  be  in- 
duced by  any  ordinary  consideration  to  move  from  his 
seat  until  this  absorbing  matter  is  quite  finished. 

A  like  institution  with  the  Zulu,  is  the  pipe.  This, 
too,  has  something  of  a  social  though  most  degrading 
influence.  The  pipe  consists  of  a  horn,  a  bowl,  and 
a  reed  by  which  the  two  are  united.  The  home-made 
earthen,  bowl  has  a  hole  in  the  bottom,  by  which  it  is 
fitted  to  one  end  of  a  reed,  the  other  end  being  inserted 
into  the  side  of  a  large  horn,  igudu,  at  an  angle  of 
about  thirty  degrees,  ten  or  twelve  inches  from  the 
larger  end ;  the  reed  running  down  into  the  little  end, 
so  as  to  carry  the  smoke  through  a  quantity  of  water, 
as  in  the  East  Indian  "hookah,"  before  it  enters  the 
mouth  of  the  smoker.  The  most  popular  horn  for  this 
purpose  is  that  of  the  magnificent  kudu,  Umgakha,  a 
large,  fine  species  of  the  antelope,  found  in  the  upper 
parts  of  Zulu-land, — this  horn  has  the  twofold  advan- 
tage of  a  long  body  and  a  small  orifice  at  the  butt, 
where  the  mouth  is  applied,  as  to  a  trumpet,  to  receive 
the  smoke. 
10 


110 


ZULU-LAND. 


The  bowl  having  been  filled  witli  the  leaves  and  seed 
of  the  isaiigu,  with  which  tobacco  may  be  mixed,  the 
smokers  take  their  seats  upon  the  ground  in  a  circle, 
pass  the  lighted  pipe  from  one  to  another,  and  pull  away 
at  it  by  turns,  until  either  its  contents  are  exhausted, 
or  the  party  is  overcome,  stupified,  intoxicated,  mad- 
dened by  the  narcotic  fumes.  The  profuse  flow  of  sa- 
liva, stimulated  by  this  operation,  is  often  carried  off 
by  a  long  reed  inserted  in  one  corner  of  the  mouth  while 
the  pipe  is  applied  to  the  other.  The  habit  of  smoking 
the  igudu,  though  most  destructive  to  mind  and  body, 
once  formed,  is  followed  with  great  pertinacity.  The 
subject  of  it,  lost  to  self-control  and  all  good  influences, 
neglects  his  business  and  becomes  the  slave  of  his  be- 
sotting horn. 

As  to  the  ordinary  pursuits  of  the  Zulus,  some  of 
them  have  been  already  named,  especially  those  to  which 
the  women  are  called.  With  the  men,  in  the  past,  war 
has  been  a  chief  business.  They  also  build  the  kraal, 
they  make  the  fences,  and  the  frame-work  of  the  houses ; 
leaving  the  women  to  gather  the  grass  for  thatch- 
ing, and  to  make  the  floors. 

In  gardening,  the  men  clear  the  land,  if  need  be,  and 
sometimes  fence  it  in  ;  the  women  plant,  weed,  and  har- 
vest. The  gardens  must  be  watched  at  first,  by  day,  by 
the  women  and  children,  to  fray  away  the  birds  from 
picking  up  the  seed  or  pulling  up  the  tender  shoots ; 
and  often,  at  a  later  season,  to  keep  the  monkey  and 
baboon  from  eating  the  blade  or  the  ear.  And  then, 
if  the  men  have  made  no  fence,  as  soon  as  the  ear  puts 
out,  they  must  guard  the  field  by  night  to  keep  it  from 
the  destructive  visits  of  the  wild  pig.    In  passing  the 


APPEARANCE  AND  PURSUITS  OF  TUB  NATIVES.  Ill 

watcli-towers  which  they  construct  for  these  purposes, 
I  have  often  thought  of  the  ^'cottage  in  a  vineyard," 
the  "lodge  in  a  garden  of  cucumbers,"  of  which  the 
Scriptures  speak.  To  make  one  of  these  booths  they 
set  up  four  posts  in  a  commanding  part  of  the  garden ; 
on  these  they  lay  a  platform  of  poles,  five  or  six  feet 
above  the  ground.  On  a  part  of  this  platform,  they 
erect  a  small  temporary  hut  as  a  shelter  from  wind  and 
rain.  The  space  below  is  Avattled  about  from  poKt  to 
post,  on  three  sides,  to  afford  a  protection  against  the 
storms,  and  form  a  kitchen  in  which  to  kindle  a  fire 
and  roast  mealies  when  the  field  is  far  from  home. 

When  the  garden  is  large,  and  amahele  is  grown,  of 
which  the  birds  are  most  fond,  the  field  is  often  dotted 
over  with  tall  posts,  to  the  tops  of  which  are  tied  strings 
of  bark  which  reach  from  one  to  the  other,  as  also  to 
the  watch-tower,  where  a  little  girl  stands  to  guard  by 
day.  On  seeing  a  flock  of  finches  light  upon  the  grain 
in  a  distant  part  of  the  field,  she  shouts,  gives  the  string 
a  twitch,  sets  all  the  lines  and  stakes  in  motion,  and  so 
puts  the  birds  on  the  wing,— only,  however,  to  alight, 
perchance  in  another  part  of  the  field,  or  in  a  neigh- 
bor's garden,  there  to  be  startled  and  sent  flying 
again. 

To  herd  the  cattle  and  milk  the  cows,  is  another  part 
of  the  duty  of  men  and  boys.  If  the  man  be  well  off, 
and  have  boys  or  dependent  men  enough,  he  has  him- 
self but  little  to  do  with  herding  and  milking ;  other- 
wise he  must  give  his  own  hand  to  it.  Since  the  fields 
are  unfcnced,  the  herd-boy  must  take  good  care  that 
the  calves  do  not  get  to  the  cows  and  steal  all  the  milk  ; 
also,  that  the  cows  do  not  get  into  the  garden  and 


112 


ZULU-LAND. 


eat  all  the  corn, — else  woe  be  to  his  back  when  night 
comes — and  the  rod,  too. 

Every  part  of  the  Zulu's  dairy  is  managed  in  his  own 
way.  "  In  the  morning,  the  herd  is  sent  out  to  pasture, 
under  the  care  of  a  boy,  who  brings  them  home  about 
ten  o'clock,  when  the  cows  are  milked.  That  process 
is  singular,  and  not  calculated  to  find  favor  with  an 
English  nymph  of  the  pail.  It  requires  strong  lungs, 
as  w^ll  as  vigorous  fingers.  The  Kafir  engages  in  it 
with  enthusiasm,  and  it  is  about  the  only  kind  of  work 
he  really  likes.  The  first  thing  he  does  is  to  introduce 
the  calf,  and  allow  it  to  suck  a  short  time.  He  then 
squats  on  his  heels,  pushes  away  the  calf,  and  with  a 
wooden  vessel  between  his  knees,  draws  as  much  milk 
as  he  can  obtain.  Meanwhile,  the  calf  makes  vigorous 
eiforts  to  share  it  with  him,  and  receives  sundry  moni- 
tory blows  from  a  young  boy,  who  keeps  watch  and  ward 
over  the  precious  fountain  with  a  stick.  When  the  cow 
will  yield  no  more,  the  calf  is  again  allowed  to  suck, 
and  again  obliged  to  give  place  to  the  man.  The  pro- 
cess of  milking  is  thus  a  contest  between  the  calf 
and  the  milker,  in  which  the  cow  is  umpire.  This  is  a 
very  imperfect  sketch  of  the  scene,  and  the  reader  must 
imagine  that  he  hears  the  operator  talking  to  the  cow, 
and  whistling  in  a  manner  incomprehensible  to  civilized 
ears,  as  if  she  required  to  be  wheedled  into  benevolence, 
and  would  give  her  milk  only  when  coaxed  to  do  so  by 
screams  and  ear-piercing  notes." 

Having  finished  this  part  of  the  business,  the  dairy- 
man takes  the  milk  to  his  hut,  and  pours  it  at  once  into 
his  calabash ;  most  skillfully  applying  his  two  thumbs  to 
the  edge  of  the  pail  at  each  side  of  the  stream,  so  as  to 


APPEARANCE  AND  PURSUITS  OF  THE  NATIVES.  113 


reduce  it  to  a  narrow  compass,  since  the  mouth  of  his 
igula  is  scarcely  hirger  than  his  little  finger.  Being  set 
away  in  a  warm  place,  the  sweet  uhisi  soon  turns  to 
amasi,  and  is  ready  for  use. 

The  men  also  consider  it  a  part  of  their  business  to 
make  the  clothes,  such  as  they  are, — and  not  for  them- 
selves only,  but  also  for  the  women. 

All  seem  to  know  how  to  dress  a  hide,  whether  it  be 
for  a  pouch,  a  purse,  or  a  knapsack,  a  woman's  gown, 
a  sling  for  infants  on  their  mothers'  backs,  a  bridal 
dress,  or  a  war-shield.  Some  make  spears;  some,  bas- 
kets ;*  some  carve  milk-pails,  spoons,  and  pillows,  out 
of  wood.  Some  work  in  iron, — dig  it  from  the  earth, 
smelt  it,  and  make  it  into  picks,  hatchets,  assegai-blades. 
Some  of  them  used  to  work  in  brass,  and  make  bangles 
and  balls,  or  rings  and  buttons,  and  other  brazen  orna- 
ments. By  the  way,  I  have  a  rare  antique  of  this  kind 
before  me — a  royal  armlet  of  early  days,  as  the  Zulu 
counts.  It  is  said  to  have  been  made  in  the  time  of 
Senzangakona,  and  to  have  descended  from  him  to 
Chaka,  thence  to  Dingan,  thence  to  Umpande,  who  gave 
it  to  one  of  his  chief  captains,  who,  obliged  to  flee  from 
Zulu-land  by  Kechwayo's  uprising,  brought  it  with  him, 
and  sold  it  to  me.    It  is  made  of  brass,  weighs  about 

*  In  our  cut,  "  The  Zulu  at  work,"  we  give  (from  photographs)  an  illus- 
tration of  some  of  tLe  employments  which  fill  the  Zulu's  hours. 

We  have  the  basket-maker,  making  with  the  awl  in  his  right  hand 
a  puncture  in  which  he  will  thrust  the  palm-leaf  strand,  the  warp  of  the 
basket  being  made  of  a  cord  of  tough  grass.  The  barber  is  manufacturing 
a  customer's  head-ring.  The  women  with  burdens  on  their  heads,  corn 
and  wood,  well  show  the  female  dress.  The  mother,  in  cow-hide  skirt, 
with  a  babe  lashed  to  her  back,  is  on  her  way  with  her  heavy  pick,  to  her 
weary  task  of  tillage  in  the  field. 
10  * 


lU 


ZULU-LAND. 


two  pounds,  and  bears  a  good  many  marks  of  the  smith's 
attempt  at  the  curious  and  clever. 

The  favorite  pursuit  of  this  people,  however,  and  one 
of  the  most  exciting,  is  the  chase.  Kot  much  does  it 
matter  what  the  game  is,  a  rabbit,  buck,  or  boar,  wolf, 
or  wild-dog,  leopard,  or  lion,  buffalo  or  elepha^nt,  there 
is  no  want  of  life,  speed,  or  daring  in  a  hunting  party. 
To  see  them  gathering  from  all  quarters, — men,  boys, 
dogs, — shouting  from  the  hill-tops  for  a  general  rally, 
singing  their  hunting  songs,  whistling  to  their  dogs, 
brandishing  their  spears,  swinging  their  clubs,  talking, 
laughing,  racing, — you  would  think  them  wilder  and 
more  fearful  than  any  of  the  beasts  of  which  they  are 
in  search.  But  my  chapter,  already  too  long,  would  be 
well  nigh  endless,  were  I  to  take  the  reader  through 
the  Zulu  hunter's  chase  over  the  hills  and  prairies  of 
these  wild,  sunny  shores ;  so  I  will  stop  at  once, — do 
as  Cowper  did  with  his  "  Song," — 

"  And  cut  it  off  short  because  it  was  long." 


ZULU-KAFIR  LAW  AND  GOVERNMENT.  115 


CHAPTER  X. 

ZULU-KAFIR  LAW  AND  GOVERNMENT  ;  THEIR  INFLUENCE 
UPON  THE  NATIVE  MIND. 

Such  dupes  are  men  to  custom,  and  so  prone 

To  reverence  what  is  ancient,  and  can  plead 

A  course  of  long  observance  for  its  use, 

That  even  servitude,  the  worst  of  ills. 

Because  delivered  down  from  sire  to  son. 

Is  kept  and  guarded  as  a  sacred  thing,  Cowper. 

All  the  mvre  important  political  institutions  of  this 
people,  as  in  other  lands,  are  the  growth  of  circum- 
stances, having  had,  first,  a  natural  origin  in  the  neces- 
sities and  relations  of  the  people,  and  then  been  modified 
and  established  by  experience.  Hence  the  power  and 
stability  of  those  institutions,  and  the  attachment  which 
both  ruler  and  people  feel  for  them.  Many  of  their 
laws  are  bad — wholly  wrong — just  as  the  heart  of  the 
people,  the  great  ruling  purpose  of  their  lives,  is  wrong. 
Yet  some  of  their  laws  are  honorable  exceptions ; 
some  of  them  are  good,  well  fitted  to  promote  the  peace 
and  good  order  of  society.  In  one  sense  we  may  say 
that  all  their  laws  are  good,  being  well  suited  to  the 
end  for  which  they  were  designed.  The  fault  lies  in 
the  end  sought,  and  not  in  the  fitness  of  the  means  em- 
ployed.   Leave  the  iniquitous  and  selfish  ends  out  of 


116 


ZULU-LAND. 


vieTV,  and  their  system  might  be  pronounced  admirable, 
consistent,  and  symmetrical.  The  government  is  here- 
ditary, and,  in  a  great  measure,  of  a  patriarchal  cha- 
racter ;  having,  with  all  its  faults,  some  points  of  re- 
semblance to  that  of  the  Jews  in  Canaan.  The  children 
must  account  to  their  mother ;  the  mother  and  wives  to 
their  husband ;  the  husband  and  men  of  the  kraal  to 
the  head  man  ;  all  the  head  men  of  kraals  to  the  induna, 
or  chief  man  of  a  river  or  district ;  and  the  izinduna, 
or  chief  men  of  the  districts,  to  the  king  of  the  country. 
Hence,  among  themselves,  the  independent  ruler,  such 
as  Chaka  and  Dingan  were,  has  all  the  machinery  for 
reaching  the  most  remote  and  insignificant  person  or 
thing  in  his  tribe,  that  Joshua  had  for  finding  out  the 
perpetrator  of  an  accursed  act  in  the  camp  of  Israel. 
Every  boy  has  his  father  and  mother,  and  would  have, 
though  father  and  mother  should  die  a  'dozen  times 
before  he  should  reach  the  years  of  manhood ;  and  for 
him,  all  his  afi'airs,  even  to  the  marrying  of  a  wife,  must 
be  transacted  through  the  father.  So  every  woman  has 
a  husband,  and  must  have  till  her  strength  is  gone  and 
her  son  is  grown ;  when  she  goes  to  spend  the  rest  of 
her  life  with  him ;  and  every  girl,  who  is  destined  to 
fetch  ten  or  fifteen  head  of  cattle  in  the  market,  when 
old  enough  to  marry,  has  her  father  or  proprietor,  and 
would  have,  though  all  her  kindred  were  to  die. 

Of  marriage  laws  I  shall  have  more  to  say  at  another 
time.  A  word,  however,  here,  in  respect  inheritance 
and  succession  to  the  chieftainship,  will  not  be  out  of 
place.  The  wealth  of  a  man  among  this  people  con- 
sists chiefly  in  the  number  of  his  cattle,  wives,  and 
daughters.    Each  wife  costs  so  many  head  of  cattle,  and 


ZUL'-KAFIR  LAW  AND  GOVERNMENT. 


117 


each  daughter  will  sell  for  so  many,  ten,  twenty,  or 
fifty,  according  to  their  rank,  ability,  and  beauty. 
Where  polygamy  is  practiced,  the  law  of  inheritance 
becomes  very  complicated ;  yet  their  system  is  made  to 
reach  every  case,  since  each  wife  has  her  own  house,  or 
family,  and  her  allotted  place  in  the  line  of  matrimonial 
alliance,  as  first,  second,  or  third,  in  her  lord's  inven- 
tory. The  woman  first  taken  is  not  always  the  first  in 
rank,  as  the  husband  may  give  this  to  another.  The 
eldest  son  of  a  given  house,  if  grown  to  be  a  man,  when 
his  father  dies,  inherits  the  property  of  that  house,  or 
stands  in  the  relation  of  father  to  that  establishment. 
If  he  belong  to  the  great  house,  having  been  born  of 
the  choice  wife,  he  has  the  entire  estate,  and  is  bound 
to  look  after  the  interests  of  all  parties  till  other  sons 
come  up  and  claim  their  portions.  If  the  man  have  no 
son,  the  property  goes  to  the  next  heir, — to  his  father ; 
to  a  brother  of  the  same  house,  or  of  some  other  house ; 
to  some  more  distant  relation ;  or,  in  case  of  an  entire 
failure  of  heirs  such  as  their  laws  recognize,  it  goes  to 
the  chief,  the  acknowledged  embodiment  of  the  state. 
The  women,  being  themselves  held  and  counted  as  pro- 
perty,— so  many  cattle, — are  incapacitated,  save  in  rare 
instances,  to  inherit  or  possess  anything. 

The  same  general  principles  hold  in  respect  to  an 
heir  to  the  throne  as  in  respect  to  the  inheritance  of 
property ;  though  the  king,  in  naming  the  particular 
wife  or  house  from  which  this  honor,  his  successor,  shall 
come,  provided  he  should  ever  die,  finds  it  expedient  to 
consult  the  pleasure  of  the  great  men  of  his  kingdom  ; 
since  any  decision  to  which  they  should  be  opposed 
would  be  thwarted  by  intrigue  after  his  decease.  Quite 


118 


ZULU-LAND. 


likely  the  "great  wife"  may  be  one  of  the  last  in  that 
usually  long  series  with  which  the  Zulu-Kafir  king  is 
connected.  The  reasons  for  this  are  obviously  two-fold ; 
the  wives  who  were  taken  in  his  later  days,  when  his 
wealth,  his  power,  his  name  are  known  abroad  at  the 
courts  of  other  kings,  are  likely  to  be  women  of  a  more 
distinguished  rank  than  those  of  his  youth ;  and  then 
again,  were  the  king  to  arrange  for  an  heir  from  one  of 
his  first  wives,  the  son  might  be  ready  for  the  throne 
before  the  father  would  be  ready  to  give  it  up.  Should 
the  "great  son"  be  a  minor  when  the  king  dies,  the 
great  men  of  the  realm,  the  old  king's  counselors,  con- 
duct the  afiairs  of  state  till  he  is  old  enough  to  be  in- 
ducted into  ofiice ;  or  some  brother  may  take  the  sceptre, 
as  Dingan  did,  and  after  him,  Umpande,  both  brothers 
of  Chaka. 

The  time  to  inaugurate  the  new  chief  having  arrived, 
the  people  of  his  own  nation,  perhaps  also  the  chiefs  of 
neighboring  tribes,  send  in  their  off*erings, — a  few  head 
of  cattle  from  each  kraal, — when  large  numbers  meet 
at  the  capital,  and  go  through  a  grand  dance,  and  other 
ceremonies  suited  to  the  occasion ;  an  ample  charge 
being  given  him,  meantime,  by  the  veteran  ministers  of 
his  father's  reign,  as  to  how  he  is  to  conduct  the  affairs 
of  the  kingdom.  Henceforth  he  is  king.  The  nation 
is  his,  the  people,  the  cattle,  the  lands, — everything ; 
but  then  he  must  provide  for  all,  protect  all,  govern  all. 
His  word  is  absolute  law  ;  yet  he  must  show  a  proper 
regard  for  the  customs  of  the  people,  must  consult  his 
counselors,  and  take  good  heed  to  the  precedents  handed 
down  from  other  days.  The  nation  is  all  at  his  service, 
the  great  men  to  give  him  advice  in  respect  to  war,  to 


ZULU-KAFIR  LAW  AND  GOVERNMENT.  119 


lead  his  armies,  to  act  as  advocates,  counselors,  judges, 
in  the  trial  of  cases,  or  to  carry  out  the  decisions,  col- 
lect the  fines,  inflict  the  penalties,  which  he  declares : 
the  commoners  to  serve  as  soldiers,  build  his  military 
towns,  dig  his  gardens,  and  take  care  of  his  cattle ; — 
but  then  all  these  must  have  a  portion  of  the  spoils  of 
war,  of  fines  collected,  of  property  confiscated, — a  liveli- 
hood for  their  services.  The  foreigner  is  surprised  to 
see  the  minute  completeness  of  this  system, — agents  and 
subagents  posted  throughout  the  realm,  one  responsible 
for  the  people  about  this  mountain,  another  for  those 
who  live  along  the  banks  of  that  river  ;  each  subordinate 
group,  nook,  and  corner,  having  its  subordinate  officer, 
by  w^hom  petty  cases  are  tried,  and  all  minor  affairs  ar- 
ranged, subject,  however,  to  an  appeal  to  the  paramount 
chief. 

In  cases  of  so-called  witchcraft^ — in  which  the  al- 
leged guilty  man's  wealth,  some  whim  of  his  neigh- 
bors, or  some  pique  of  the  chieftain  is,  doubtless,  in 
reality,  the  prime  occasion  of  the  complaint, — the  royal 
magistrate  is  professedly  aided  by  the  izinyanga^  witch- 
doctors, who  "smell  out"  the  obnoxious  party;  and 
among  whom,  together  with  the  accusers  and  the  king, 
the  property  of  the  condemned  must  be  divided. 

In  respect  to  some  of  the  vices  and  crimes  which  are 
common  in  other  nations,  the  people,  especially  the 
Amazulu  and  the  unsophisticated  natives  of  Natal,  bear 
a  much  better  character  than  could  be  expected.  During 
a  residence  of  many  years  among  them,  with  almost  no 
bolt  or  bar  of  any  kind  on  my  premises,  I  am  not  aware 
that  I  have  had  anything  stolen  from  me.  This  fact  is, 
no  doubt,  owing  in  a  great  measure  to  the  severe  penalty, 


120 


ZULU-LAND. 


death,  with  which  the  thief  was  wont  to  be  punished 
under  their  own  laws,  especially  in  the  days  of  Chaka. 
It  must  not,  however,  be  inferred  that  no  native  now 
dares  to  take  that  which  does  not  belong  to  him.  We 
have  reason  to  fear  that  this  evil  is  on  the  increase. 
Nor  need  I  say  that  stealing  is  common  in  the  South  of 
Kafirland,  where  the  law  requires  restitution,  or  inflicts 
a  fine. 

Murders,  too,  are  much  less  frequent  among  the  na- 
tives of  Natal,  and  their  pure  Zulu  neighbors,  than 
might  be  expected  from  a  people  like  those  of  whom  we 
speak.  A  party  found  guilty  of  this  crime  is  sometimes 
executed  ;  though  more  generally  a  fine  is  inflicted.  In 
case  of  theft  or  murder,  and  crimes  of  a  like  character, 
it  is  not  necessary  to  trace  out  the  guilty  person,  since 
the  whole  ajffair  may  be  adjusted  on  the  principle  of  col- 
lective responsibility.  If  a  case  can  be  established 
against  a  given  kraal  or  community,  that  community  or 
kraal  are  bound  to  make  reparation.  Most  of  their 
fines  are  paid  in  cattle,  a  few  head  of  which  will  gene- 
rally settle  any  case  of  adultery,  rape,  arson,  homicide, 
or  assault. 

The  "glorious  uncertainty  of  the  law"  is  proverbial; 
but  if  "uncertainty"  be  a  ground  of  "glory"  in  the 
law  of  other  lands,  then  surely  there  can  be  no  want  of 
that  attribute  in  the  law  of  this.  With  no  written  code, 
no  "  letter  of  the  law,"  to  which  appeal  may  be  made, — 
but  a  mass  of  traditional  and  conflicting  precedents, 
and  dependence  upon  the  word  of  the  king  for  judg- 
ment, of  whom  it  were  expecting  too  much  to  suppose 
him  always  free  from  favoritism,  caprice,  prejudice  or 
ignorance,  we  must  believe  the  guilty  often  go  unwlnpt 


ZULU-KAFIR  LAW  AND  GOVERNMENT.  121 


of  justice,  whilst  the  innocent  suffer.  Then,  too,  how- 
ever good  a  man's  case  may  be,  when  we  consider  the 
amount  of  time,  perseverance,  courage,  combativeness, 
and  the  number  of  friends  required  to  carry  a  case 
through  a  Kafir  court,  we  might  almost  suppose  many  a 
wronged  party  would  rather  endure  wrong  than  go  to 
law  for  redress. 

To  get  some  idea  of  this  point,  as  also  insight  into  the 
character  of  this  people,  take  the  following  graphic 
sketch  of  the  forms  and  processes  of  Kafir  jurisprudence, 
as  furnished  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Dugmore,  which  describes 
the  course  of  a  case  at  law  quite  as  well  among  the 
Amazulu,  on  the  north  of  us,  as  among  the  Amakosa, 
where  the  sketch  was  taken,  on  the  south  of  us  : — 

"  The  conduct  of  a  Kafir  law- suit  through  its  various 
stages  is  an  amusing  scene  to  any  one  who  understands 
the  language,  and  who  marks  the  proceedings  with  a 
view  to  elicit  mental  character. 

"  When  a  man  has  ascertained  that  he  has  sufficient 
grounds  to  enter  an  action  against  another,  his  first  step 
is  to  proceed  with  a  party  of  his  friends  or  ad- 
herents, armed,  to  the  residence  of  the  person  against 
whom  his  action  lies.  On  their  arrival,  they  sit  down 
together  in  some  conspicuous  position,  and  await  quietly 
the  result  of  their  presence.  As  a  law  party  is  readily 
known  by  the  aspect  and  deportment  of  its  constituents, 
its  appearance  at  any  kraal  is  the  signal  for  mustering 
all  the  adult  male  residents  that  are  forthcoming.  These 
accordingly  assemble,  and  also  sit  down  together,  within 
conversing  distance  of  the  generally  unwelcome  visitors. 
The  two  parties  survey  each  other  in  silence  for  some 
time.  '  Tell  us  the  news  !'  at  length  exclaims  one  of 
11 


122 


ZULU-LAND. 


the  adherents  of  the  defendant,  should  their  patience 
fail  first.  Anothsr  pause  sometimes  ensues,  during 
which  the  party  of  the  plaintiff  discuss  in  an  under  tone 
which  of  their  company  shall  be  '  opening  counsel.'  This 
decided,  the  'learned  gentleman'  commences  a  minute 
statement  of  the  case,  the  rest  of  the  party  confining 
themselves  to  occasional  suggestions,  which  he  adopts 
or  rejects  at  pleasure.  Sometimes  he  is  allowed  to  pro- 
ceed almost  uninterrupted  to  the  close  of  the  statement, 
the  friends  of  the  defendant  listening  with  silent  atten- 
tion, and  treasuring  up  in  their  memories  all  the  points 
of  importance,  for  a  future  stage  of  the  proceedings. 
Generally,  however,  it  receives  a  thorough  sifting  from 
the  beginning,  every  assertion  of  consequence  being 
made  the  occasion  of  a  most  searching  series  of  cross- 
questions. 

"  The  case  thus  fairly  opened,  which  often  occupies 
several  hours,  it  probably  proceeds  no  farther  the  first 
day.  The  plaintiff  and  his  party  are  told  that  the 
'men'  of  the  place  are  from  home ;  that  there  are  none 
but  'children'  present,  who  are  not  competent  to  dis- 
cuss such  important  matters.  They  accordingly  retire, 
with  the  tacit  understanding  that  the  case  is  to  be  re- 
sumed the  next  day. 

"During  the  interval,  the  defendant  formally  makes 
known  to  the  men  of  the  neighboring  kraals  that  an  ac- 
tion has  been  entered  against  him,  and  they  are  expected 
to  be  present  on  his  behalf  at  the  resumption  of  the 
case.  In  the  meantime,  the  first  day's  proceedings  hav- 
ing indicated  the  line  of  argument  adopted  by  the  plain- 
tiff, the  plan  of  defence  is  arranged  accordingly.  In- 
formation is  collected,  arguments  are  suggested,  prcce- 


ZULU-KAFIR  LAW  AND  GOVERNMENT.  123 


Jents  sought  for,  able  debaters  called  in,  and  every 
possible  preparation  made  for  the  battle  of  intellects 
that  is  to  be  fought  on  the  following  day.  The  plaintiff's 
party,  usually  reinforced  both  in  mental  and  in  material 
strength,  arrive  the  next  morning  and  take  up  their 
ground  again.  Their  opponents,  now  mustered  in  force, 
confront  them,  seated  on  the  ground,  each  man  with  his 
arms  by  his  side.  The  case  is  resumed  by  some  *  advo- 
cate for  the  defendant '  requiring  a  re-statement  of  the 
plaintiff's  grounds  of  action.  This  is  commenced,  per- 
haps, by  one  who  was  not  even  present  at  the  previous 
day's  proceedings,  but  who  has  been  selected  for  this 
more  difficult  stage  of  the  case  on  account  of  his  debat- 
ing abilities. 

"Then  comes  the  Hug  of  war.'  The  ground  is  dis- 
puted inch  by  inch ;  every  assertion  is  contested,  every 
proof  attempted  to  be  invalidated  ;  objection  meets  ob- 
jection, and  question  is  opposed  by  counter  question, 
each  disputant  endeavoring,  with  surprising  adroitness, 
to  throw  the  burden  of  ansiveri7ig  on  his  opponent.  The 
Socratic  method  of  debate  appears  in  all  its  perfection, 
both  parties  being  equally  versed  in  it.  The  rival  ad- 
vocates warm  as  they  proceed,  sharpening  each  other's 
intellects,  and  kindling  each  other's  ardor,  till,  from  the 
passions  that  seem  enlisted  in  the  contest,  a  stranger 
might  suppose  the  interests  of  the  nation  to  be  at  stake, 
and  dependent  upon  the  decision. 

"  When  these  combatants  have  spent  their  strength, 
or  one  of  them  is  overcome  in  argument,  others  step  in 
to  the  rescue.  The  battle  is  fouo-ht  over  ao-ain  on  dif- 
ferent  grounds ;  some  point,  either  of  law  or  evidence, 
that  had  been  purposely  kept  in  abeyance,  being  now 


124 


ZULU-LAND. 


brought  forward,  and  perhaps  the  entire  aspect  of  the 
case  changes.  The  whole  of  the  second  day  is  fre- 
quently taken  up  with  this  intellectual  gladiatorship, 
and  it  closes  without  any  other  result  than  an  exhibi- 
tion of  the  relative  strength  of  the  opposing  parties. 
The  plaintiff 's  company  retire  again,  and  the  defendant 
and  his  friends  review  their  own  position.  Should  they 
feel  that  they  have  been  worsted,  and  that  the  case  is 
one  that  cannot  be  successfully  defended,  they  prepare 
to  attempt  to  bring  the  matter  to  a  conclusion  by  an 
offer  of  the  smallest  satisfaction  the  law  allows.  This 
is  usually  refused,  in  expectation  of  an  advance  in  the 
offer,  which  takes  place  generally  in  proportion  to  the 
defendant's  anxiety  to  prevent  an  appeal.  Should  the 
plaintiff  at  length  accede  to  the  proposed  terms,  they 
are  fulfilled,  and  the  case  is  ended  by  a  formal  declara- 
tion of  acquiescence. 

"  If,  however,  as  it  frequently  happens,  the  case  in- 
volves a  number  of  intricate  questions  that  afford  room 
for  quibbling,  the  debates  are  renewed  day  after  day, 
till  the  plaintiffs  determine  to  appeal  to  the  decision  of 
the  Umpahati^  who  has  charge  of  the  neighboring  dis- 
trict. He  proceeds  with  his  array  of  advocates  to  his 
kraal,  and  the  case  is  re-stated  in  his  presence.  The 
defendant  confronts  him,  and  the  whole  affair  is  gone 
into  anew  on  an  enlarged  scale  of  investigation.  The 
history  of  the  case,  the  history  of  the  events  that  led  to  it, 
collateral  circumstances,  journeys,  visits,  conversations, 
bargains,  exchanges,  gifts,  promises,  threatenings,  births, 
marriages,  deaths,  that  were  taken,  paid,  made,  given, 
or  occurred  in  connection  with  either  of  the  contending 
parties,  or  their  associates,  or  their  relatives  of  the  pre- 


ZULU-KAFIR  LAW  AND  GOVERNMENT. 


125 


sent  or  past  generation,  all  come  under  review;  and  be- 
fore the  '  court  of  appeal'  has  done  with  the  affair,  the 
history,  external  and  internal,  of  a  dozen  families,  for 
the  past  ten  years,  is  made  the  subject  of  conflicting 
discussion.  The  resident  magistrate  decides  the  case, 
if  he  can,  after  perhaps  a  week's  investigation ;  but  if 
not,  or  if  either  party  be  dissatisfied  with  his  decision 
an  appeal  can  still  be  made  to  the  chief  'in  council.' 

"  Should  this  final  step  be  resolved  on,  the  appealing 
party  proceeds  to  the  'great  place.'  Here,  however, 
more  of  form  and  ceremony  must  be  observed  than  be- 
fore. As  soon  as  he  and  his  company  arrive  within 
hearing,  he  shouts  at  the  full  extent  of  his  voice :  '  Ndi 
mangele  !'  (J  lodge  a  complaint.)  'U  mangele  'nto 
nina  V  [You  lodge  a  complaint  of  what?)  is  the  imme- 
diate response,  equally  loud,  from  whichever  of  the 
'  men  of  the  great  place'  happens  to  catch  the  sound. 
A  shouting  dialogue  commences,  the  complainants  ap- 
proaching all  the  while  till  they  have  reached  the  usual 
position  occupied  on  such  occasions,  a  spot  at  the  re- 
spectful distance  of  some  fifty  paces  from  the  council- 
hut.  The  dialogue  lasts  as  long  as  the  Umpa'kati 
chooses  to  question,  and  then  ceases.  The  complainants 
sit  still.  By-and-by,  some  one  else  comes  out  of  the 
house  and  sees  the  party :  '  What  do  you  complain 
about?'  'We  complain  about  so  and  so;'  and  the  case 
is  begun  afresh.  He  listens  and  questions  as  long  as 
he  likes,  and  then  passes  on.  A  third  happens  to  be 
going  by.  The  inquiry  is  repeated,  and  again  a  state- 
ment is  commenced.  The  Umpa'kati  wahwomhulu  ques- 
tions as  he  goes,  and  without  stopping  continues  his  in- 
terrogations till  he  is  out  of  hearing.  This  tantalizing 
11  * 


12G 


ZULU-LAND. 


and  seemingly  contemptuous  pr.cedure  is  repeated  at 
the  pleasure  or  caprice  of  any  man  who  chances  to  form 
one  of  the  '  court'  for  the  time  being,  and  it  would  be 
'  contempt  of  court'  to  refuse  to  answer.  At  length, 
when  it  suits  their  convenience,  the  councilors  assemble 
and  listen  to  the  complainant's  statement.  The  oppo- 
site party,  if  he  has  not  come  voluntarily  to  confront 
his  accusers,  is  summoned  by  authority.  On  his  arrival, 
the  former  processes  of  statement  and  counter-state- 
ment are  repeated,  subjected  to  the  cross-examining  or- 
deal through  which  old  Kafir  lawyers  know  so  well  how 
to  put  a  man.  The  chief  meanwhile  is  perhaps  lying 
stretched  on  a  mat  in  the  midst  of  his  council,  appa- 
rently asleep,  or  in  a  state  of  dignified  indifi'erence  as 
to  what  is  going  forward.  He  is,  however,  in  reality  as 
wide-awake  as  any  present,  of  which  he  can  generally 
give  proof  should  he  see  fit  to  assume  the  office  of  ex- 
aminer himself.  He  sometimes  does  so,  after  having 
listened  to  the  debates  that  have  taken  place  in  his  pre- 
sence, and  then  decides  the  case.  At  other  times  he  forms 
his  decisions  upon  the  result  of  the  investigations  con- 
ducted by  his  councilors,  and  takes  no  part  in  the  case 
but  to  pronounce  judgment.  On  this  being  done,  the 
party  in  whose  favor  judgment  is  given  starts  up,  rushes 
to  the  feet  of  the  chief,  kisses  them,  and  in  an  impas- 
sioned oration  extols  the  wisdom  and  justice  of  his  judge 
to  the  skies.  A  party  from  the  '  great  place'  is  sent 
with  him  to  enforce  the  decision,  and  bring  back  the 
chief's  share  of  the  fine  imposed,  and  the  afiair  is  at  an 
end." 

It  will  be  seen,  from  what  has  been  said,  that  the 
Zulus  are  generally  disposed  to  pay  deference  to  age, 


ZULU-KAFIR  LAW  AND  GOVERNMENT.  127 


rank,  and  constituted  authority  ;  and  that,  with  all  their 
want  of  discipline,  they  have  an  idea  that  every  thing 
should  be  done  in  an  orderly  and  systematic  manner. 
This  comes  out  not  only  in  the  greater,  but  often  in  some 
of  the  most  trivial  affairs.  A  messenger,  returning  to 
his  chief  or  his  employer,  from  the  most  distant  journey, 
relates  to  him  every  event  of  the  journey  from  the  time 
he  left  till  his  return.  A  man  going  to  pay  a  visit  to 
his  king  must  be  announced  and  wait  the  king's  con- 
sent, and  then  be  ushered  in,  with  all  due  form,  or  give 
his  life  for  his  neglect  of  law.  One  man  going  to  the 
kraal  of  another  must  wait  to  be  saluted  before  he  ven- 
tures to  speak,  even  to  salute  those  whom  he  approaches. 
A  person  begins  to  treat  for  an  article  offered  for  sale, 
and  all  bystanders  must  be  silent  till  he  has  finished ; 
either  obtaining  or  refusing  the  article  as  he  pleases. 
A  person  speaking  in  public  must  "  have  the  floor," 
without  interruption,  till  he  has  concluded,  and  then  his 
opponent  must  have  the  same  courtesy  shown  to  him. 

Hence,  again,  a  certain  logical  turn  of  mind  for  which 
the  tril^es  of  which  we  speak  are  not  a  little  distin- 
guished. A  good  argument  they  can  both  make  and 
appreciate.  Within  the  range  of  their  own  observa- 
tion and  experience,  they  are  not  behind  the  most  ac- 
complished logician  in  readiness  to  assign  a  reason,  or 
draw  an  inference,  to  establish  their  own  views  on  the 
best  ground,  or  upset  those  of  their  opponent.  In 
these  things  they  often  exhibit  not  only  much  tact,  but 
also  a  quickness  of  perception,  a  faculty  for  making 
nice  distinctions,  and  even  a  strength  of  mind  for  which 
many  have  been  slow  to  give  them  credit. 

A  boy  from  among  this  people  once  said  to  the  writer  : 


128 


ZULU-LAND. 


You,  my  teacher,  tell  us  that  God  is  almighty,  and 
that  he  abhors  sin,  and  that  the  wicked  angels  were 
once  expelled  from  heaven  because  of  their  rebellion. 
Why,  then,  does  this  mighty  God  suffer  Satan  to  de- 
ceive men  and  work  all  manner  of  wickedness  in  their 
hearts  in"  this  world?  Why  does  he  not  destroy  the 
hateful  tempter  at  once,  and  help  men  to  be  holy  and 
acceptable  by  delivering  them  from  such  evil  influ- 
ences?" 

Another,  a  professor  of  the  Christian  faith,  once  put 
to  me  the  following  inquiry :  "  What  shall  I  do  when  I 
am  out,  for  instance,  on  a  journey  among  the  people, 
and  they  offer  such  food  as  they  have,  perhaps  the  flesh 
of  an  animal  which  has  been  slaughtered  in  honor  of 
the  amahlozi,  the  ghosts  of  the  departed?  If  I  eat  it, 
they  will  say  :  '  See  there,  he  is  a  believer  in  our  reli- 
gion ;  he  partakes  with  us  of  the  meat  offered  to  our 
gods.'  And  if  I  do  not  eat,  they  will  also  say,  '  See 
there,  he  is  a  believer  in  the  existence  and  power  of 
our  gods,  else  why  does  he  hesitate  to  eat  of  the  meat 
which  we  have  slaughtered  to  them?'"  Examples 
might  be  multiplied  in  illustration  of  the  mental  quick- 
ness and  judgment  for  which  I  have  given  them  credit. 

This  discriminating  and  casuistic  turn  of  mind  is  fa- 
vored by  another  feature  in  their  political  institutions ; 
I  refer  to  the  oj^en  character  of  their  courts  of  justice, 
and  to  the  freedom  granted  to  all  to  plead  a  case  at 
law,  or  to  discuss  a  public  question  in  their  councils. 
Advocates  or  la  fryers  by  profession  theyj^have  not;  but 
the  king  always  has  with  him  a  number  of  attendants 
from  different  parts  of  his  realm,  who  remain  for  some 
weeks  or  months,  and  then  return  home  and  give  place 


ZULU-KAFIE  LAW  AND  GOVERNMENT.  129 


to  others.  In  case  of  a  law-suit,  or  the  discussion  of 
any  great  question,  any  of  the  attendants  or  counselors 
who  may  happen  to  be  present,  may  come  forward  and 
advocate  either  side.  There  is,  evidently,  as  much  am- 
bition to  appear  well  and  make  out  a  good  case,  among 
these  sable  advocates,  as  among  those  who  elsewhere 
make  law  their  profession.  In  this  way,  not  only  is  a 
good  knowledge  of  the  law  extended  to  all  parts  of  the 
realm,  and  their  political  institutions  handed  down  from 
age  to  age,  but  the  whole  national  mind  is  quickened 
and  taught  the  principles  and  the  practice  of  logic  and 
of  oratory ;  and  that,  too,  in  a  royal  college,  the  king 
himself  being  professor. 

But,  though  there  are  points  of  excellence  in  their 
civil  institutions,  and  opportunities  are  afforded  by  them 
for  valuable  mental  discipline,  it  is  no  strange  thing  for 
these  institutions  and  opportunities  to  be  abused.  The 
advantages  which  they  offer  for  enlarging  and  elevating 
the  mind  are  too  often  turned  to  its  degradation.  In 
the  administration  of  African  law  and  government,  there 
is,  often,  too  much  intrigue,  and  flattery,  often  the  in- 
fluence of  prejudice  and  force.  Hence  the  smaller  class 
suffers  injustice  at  the  hands  of  the  larger,  and  must 
perish,  if  it  will  not  yield;  the  man  of  many  cattle, 
under  a  charge,  which,  if  proved,  forfeits  them,  is  too 
sure  to  be  condemned,  though  innocent ;  and  the  weaker 
party  in  a  suit  loses  his  case,  because  he  is  weak. 

But  all  this  low  cunning  and  deceit,  the  perverting 
of  truth,  and  giving  of  false  testimony,  the  suppressing 
of  the  better  feelings,  and  the  warping  of  the  mind  to 
admit  and  approve  the  wrong  in  face  of  the  right,  must 
always  have  a  pernicious  influence  upon  both  mind  and 


130 


ZULU-LAND. 


morals.  Such  perversions  of  mind — of  truth  and  right-— 
may  be  found,  to  some  extent,  in  all  lands,  and  are  in- 
variably attended  with  the  same  evils.  And  the  wonder 
is,  not  that  these  perversions  and  evils  exist  here,  but 
that,  in  the  absence  for  ages,  of  all  revealed  truth, 
and  of  all  proper  religious  instruction,  there  should  still 
remain  among  them  so  much  of  mental  integrity,  so 
much  of  ability  to  discern  truth  and  justice,  and,  withal, 
so  much  of  regard  for  these  principles  in  their  daily  in- 
tercourse with  one  another. 

But  an  effect  upon  the  mind  of  the  Amazulu,  more 
pernicious  than  any  which  has  been  named,  is  that  which 
results  from  the  capricious  and  despotic  character  of 
their  kings.  True,  their  king  is  influerced  to  some  ex- 
tent by  public  opinion,  and  can  never  go  against  the 
wishes  of  the  mass  except  at  the  hazard  of  his  own 
life:  yet  the  lives  of  his  subjects  are  really  in  his  hands, 
to  take  or  to  spare  as  he  pleases.  And  as  his  pleasure 
cannot  always  be  known  from  his  professions,  nor  in- 
ferred from  any  fixed  regard  either  for  the  right,  or  for 
the  common  laws  of  evidence,  where  the  people  are  not 
shielded  by  other  powers,  (as  now  in  this  colony,)  they 
pass  their  lives  in  constant  fear  of  incurring  his  dis- 
pleasure, and  hence,  of  confiscation  and  of  death. 

This  leads  them  continually  into  the  most  extravagant 
professions  of  confidence,  and  love,  and  adoration, 
though  at  heart,  they  may  be  strangers  to  all  these  af- 
fections for  their  sovereign.  The  king,  in  turn,  learn- 
ing that  these  professions  are  hollow-hearted,  and  that 
his  people  are  not  likely  to  obey  and  sustain  him  through 
love,  resolves  to  rule  them  through  fear ;  hence  he  re- 
sorts to  those  sanguinary  measures  which  strike  his  sub- 


ZULU-KAFIR  LAW  AND  GOVERNMENT.  131 


jects  with  dread,  and  serve  to  beget  within  them  a 
stoical  indifference  to  life  when  once  they  are  suspected 
and  brought  into  the  hands  of  authority. 

This  state  of  things  has  within  itself  no  remedy,  but 
of  necessity  grows  worse  and  worse.  It  leaves  in  the 
king  and  his  subjects  no  place  for  the  nobler  sentiments 
of  generosity,  frankness,  and  gratitude ;  but  tends  to 
hypocrisy,  and  a  kind  of  fatalism,  which  are  far  from 
favorable  to  true  dignity  of  character  and  good  mental 
development.  The  only  real  remedy  for  all  these  evils 
is  the  blessed  gospel  of  the  Son  of  God.  Under  the 
teachings  of  the  Bible  such  mental  and  moral  changes 
have  been  wrought  among  the  Zulus,  as  to  prove  the 
power  of  Christianity  to  meet  even  the  degraded  South 
African's  spiritual  wants,  to  renew  his  heart,  and 
to  raise  the  whole  race  to  civilization,  virtue,  and  hap- 
piness. 


132 


ZULU-LAND. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

SUPERSTITIOUS  VIEWS  AND  PRACTICES  OF  THE  PEOPLE; 
WIZARDS,  PRIESTS,  AND  DOCTORS. 

"  God  left  himself 
Not  without  witness  of  his  presence  there ; 
He  gave  them  rain  from  heaven  and  fruitful  seasons, 
Filling  unthankful  hearts  with  food  and  gladness. 
He  gave  them  kind  affections  which  they  strangled. 
Turning  his  grace  into  lasciviousness. 
He  gave  them  powers  of  intellect,  to  scale 
Heaven's  height ;  to  name  and  number  all  the  stars ; 
To  penetrate  earth's  depths  for  hidden  riches. 
Or  clothe  its  surface  with  fertility ; 

^  *  iff  *  ^^ 

Such  powers  to  these  were  given,  but  given  in  vain, 
They  knew  them  not,  or,  as  they  learned  to  know, 
Perverted  them  to  more  pernicious  evil 

Than  ignorance  had  skill  to  perpetrate."  Montgomeet. 

As  the  district  of  Natal  does  not  suffer  so  much  for 
the  want  of  rain  as  do  some  other  parts  of  Southern 
Africa,  rain-makers  are  not  so  common  here  as  they 
would  be  under  other  circumstances  ;  and  most  of  those 
who  really  attempt  to  practice  that  art  in  this  land  are 
Bechuanas  from  the  other  side  of  the  Kwahlamba  range. 
In  former  years,  when  the  real  object  and  character  of 
the  missionary  were  not  understood  so  well  as  now,  the 
people  used  to  apply  to  him  to  bring  on  a  shower  in 


SUPERSTITIONS. 


133 


time  of  special  need ;  and  even  now  tliey  seem  to  think, 
ofttimes,  that  he  has  some  peculiar,  magical  kind  of 
control  over  the  clouds ;  so  that  if  they  muster  a  good 
audience  for  a  few  Sabbaths  in  a  time  of  great  drought, 
and  especially  in  early  spring  before  the  rains  have  set 
in,  it  will  have  in  some  way  a  happy  influence  on  the 
heavens,  and  be  pretty  sure  to  bring  them  down  a  bles- 
sing. Moreover,  as  the  missionary  was  naturally  wont 
to  put  on  dark-colored,  thick  clothes,  when  the  raw, 
rainy  winds  began  to  blow,  many  of  the  natives  used  to 
conclude  there  was  some  mysterious  connection  between 
a  black  coat  and  a  plentiful  shower. 

The  people  have  great  faith  in  medicines  and  amu- 
lets,— roots,  herbs,  bark,  wood  of  various  kinds,  certain 
bones  and  claws,  hoofs  and  horns,  sundry  bits  of  hide 
and  hair,  various  forms  and  ceremonies  ;  and  the  more 
hideous  or  destructive  the  animal  from  which  bones  and 
claws,  hide  and  hair  are  taken,  the  greater  virtue  do 
these  things  seem  to  be  possessed  of.  The  more  benighted 
and  superstitious  a  man  is,  the  larger  the  string  of  such 
articles  about  his  neck.  They  no  doubt  have  some  good 
medicines ;  and  some  of  their  herb-doctors  evidently 
know  something  about  their  proper  use ;  but  they  are 
far  from  disposed  to  abide  by  that  which  is  known,  na- 
tural and  proper.  A  man  once  came  to  me,  asking  for 
medicine  for  a  sick  friend.  I  gave  him  a  dose  of  salts. 
Half  an  hour  afterwards,  going  in  that  direction  to  visit 
a  kraal,  I  found  the  man  soliciting  other  medicines  of 
a  native  doctor, — bits  of  wood  and  bark,  parings  from 
the  skin  of  a  wolf,  scrapings  from  various  bones,  claws, 
and  other  things, — all  to  be  mixed  with  my  salts  and 
given  to  the  unfortunate  patient. 
12 


134 


ZULU-LAND. 


Nor  is  it  for  sickness  alone  that  they  take  medicine ; 
neither  do  they  suppose  the  effect  of  medicine  to  be  con- 
fined to  the  party  who  takes  it.  Sometimes  you  see  a 
man  nibbling  away  at  a  little  root,  or  a  bit  of  wood, 
that  dangles  from  his  neck,  the  design  of  which  may  be 
to  soften  the  heart  of  some  man  of  whom  he  wants  to 
make  a  purchase,  or  some  woman  whose  hand  he  is  seek- 
ing in  marriage.  Should  he  see  a  snake  in  the  grass, 
he  has  another  bit  to  nibble  and  blow  at  the  reptile ; 
hoping  by  this  means  to  repel  an  attack,  and  effect  an 
escape  from  all  harm.  In  a  thunder  storm,  he  has  still 
another  bit  to  nibble  ;  whereby  he  hopes  to  protect  him- 
self from  lightning. 

They  have  still  other  medicines  to  eat  on  the  eve  of 
battle,  to  make  the  foe  faint-hearted. 

It  would  not  be  easy  to  find  a  people  more  learned 
than  the  Zulus  profess  to  be  in  the  science  of  augury. 
I  once  saw  a  woman  in  the  greatest  distress,  in  fact  she 
thought  she  was  about  to  die,  because  a  large  bird,  a 
kind  of  turkey-buzzard,  had  happened  to  visit  their 
kraal.  For  one  of  these  birds  to  be  caught  in  a  snare 
is  a  bad  sign.  If  any  body  kills  either  this  bird  or  a 
kind  of  hawk,  he  too  will  die, — so  they  say.  It  is  omi- 
nous of  evil,  a  sign  that  some  of  the  people  or  the  cattle 
are  to  be  sick  or  die,  for  a  cock  to  crow  in  the  early 
part  of  the  night,  before  people  retire.  If  a  rock-rab- 
bit runs  into  a  kraal,  if  a  dog  or  a  calf  jumps  upon  a 
hut,  it  is  a  sign  that  something  is  going  to  happen, — 
somebody,  or  something  be  sick  or  die.  They  must  not 
eat  amasi  when  it  thunders,  lest  they  should  be  struck 
by  the  lightning.    They  must  not  dig  their  gardens, 


SUPERSTITIONS. 


135 


but  sit  idle  and  do  nothing,  the  day  after  a  hail-storm, 
lest  their  crops  should  be  blighted. 

For  a  man  to  eat  amasi  at  a  neighbor's  kraal  or 
among  strangers  would  be  a  most  indecent  thing,  a  sign 
that  he  would  eventually  return  thither  for  criminal 
purposes.  The  whiskers  of  a  leopard  put  in  a  person's 
food  will  produce  nausea  and  death,  but  pounded  up  and 
eaten  with  some  of  the  flesh  will  give  a  man  courage  and 
success  in  the  hunt.  The  people  killing  one  of  those 
creatures  are  bound  to  take  it  to  their  chief,  where  the 
man  who  gave  it  the  first  stab  gets  a  cow  for  his  ex- 
ploit ;  and  the  man  who  gave  it  the  second,  a  goat.  Its 
claws  are  strung  on  a  string  and  worn,  sometimes  with 
other  things  of  like  character,  such  as  the  claws  of  large 
birds,  or  the  smaller  horns  of  cattle,  about  their  neck, 
as  a  charm,  a  mark  of  distinction,  or  a  proof  of  prowess. 
Feeding  their  dogs  on  the  beaks  and  claws  of  birds,  is 
said  to  make  them  fierce  and  so  fit  them  for  good  ser- 
vice in  the  chase. 

In  slaughtering  to  the  amaMozi,  or  departed  spirits, 
the  gall  is  counted  most  precious ;  being  that  on  which 
they  must  chiefly  depend  for  appeasing  the  wrath  of 
their  gods,  and  obtaining  their  favor.  Hence  they 
sprinkle  it  about  their  persons,  on  their  heads,  over  the 
whole  body,  and  drink  some  of  it ;  at  the  same  time  of- 
fering a  kind  of  supplicative  address  to  the  shades.  But 
more  of  this  anon.  The  gall-bladder  is  also  valued,  and 
worn  upon  the  head,  perhaps  on  the  arm  or  wrist. 
Should  the  animal  slaughtered  be  found  to  have  but 
little  gall,  the  amalilozi  are  charged  with  having  come 
and  drunk  it  while  the  cow  or  goat  was  yet  alive. 

Ask  the  untaught  heathen  natives  what  they  know  or 


136 


ZULU-LAND. 


believe,  or  what  their  fathers  and  mothers  used  to  tell 
them  about  the  origin  of  our  race, — who  was  the  first 
man,  or  whence  he  came, — and  the  reply  of  one  is  that 
the  race  began  with  Unkulunkulu,  "the  great-great 
one,"  who  burst  out  of  a  stock,  literally,  out  of  a  reed, 
and  made  us  ;  another  says  the  race  was  made  by  Um- 
velikangi,  "the  originator;"  while  still  another  says, 
the  old  people  tell  us, — Our  great  progenitors  were  two, 
Unkulunkulu  and  Umvelikangi,  who  both  sprang  from 
a  reed,  one  a  man,  the  other  a  woman ;  and  that,  after 
wandering  about  for  a  time,  they  fell  upon  a  garden, 
where  they  found  various  kinds  of  food,  which  they 
plucked,  tasted,  ate,  and  found  to  be  very  nice.  Here 
they  lived  and  multiplied,  and  soon  became  very  nu- 
merous. 

Ask  them  about  the  end  of  man, — where  he  goes  af- 
ter death, — and  one  will  reply  that  he  becomes  an  ihlozi, 
plural  amahlozi,  or  an  itongo,  a  shade,  or  ghost,  and  goes 
to  live  somewhere  underground,  there  to  build  and  abide 
with  his  ancestral  friends.  Tradition  says,  a  certain 
man  once  paid  a  visit  to  this  spectral  region ;  being 
taken  by  a  large  lion  and  put  into  a  great  deep  cavern, 
the  abode  of  the  amahlozi.  The  passage  to  the  occu- 
pied portion  was  long  and  narrow.  But  the  shades  did 
not  allow  him  to  stay  long  with  them,  giving  him  some 
food  and  sending  him  back.  He  said  they  seemed 
happy,  had  plenty  of  cattle  ;  only  they  were  very  small 
people,  cattle,  houses,  and  all, — a  kind  of  Lilliputian 
race,  and  everything  to  match.    So  much  for  tradition. 

But  there  is  little  congruity  in  the  accounts  which 
the  people  give  of  all  these  things.  Some  say  that  when 
a  man  dies  his  isitunzi,  shadow,  spirit,  ghost,  goes  off 


SUPERSTITIONS. 


13T 


and  turns  into  a  snake.  Hence,  for  certain  kinds  of 
serpents  they  have  a  great  respect,  a  kind  of  awe,  so 
that  when  one  comes  about  their  houses,  perhaps  en- 
ters, and  crawls  among  their  dishes  and  bedding,  they 
never  attempt  to  harm  it,  but  rather  adore  it,  gaze  upon 
it,  entranced,  saying,  "  The  spirit  of  our  friend  has  come 
to  see  us."  Sometimes  they  prepare  for  it  a  pot  of  beer. 
Should  any  one  attempt  to  kill  or  harm  it,  they  cry  out 
against  him,  call  him  a  fool,  and  declare  that  should  he 
strike  it  he  himself  would  die. 

Lions  and  elephants  are  also,  sometimes,  looked  upon 
as  an  embodiment  of  the  spirit  of  their  departed  friends, 
especially  their  chieftains.  Hence,  should  one  of  these 
animals  visit  their  kraal,  pass  near  or  round  it,  without 
doing  them  any  harm,  they  would  say  they  had  been 
favored  with  a  visit  from  the  spirit  of  their  royal  an- 
cestor. 

To  these  shades  of  the  dead,  especially  to  the  ghosts 
of  their  great  men,  as  Jama,  Senzangakona,  and  Chaka, 
their  former  kings,  they  look  for  help,  and  offer  sacri- 
fices ;  that  is,  slaughter  cattle  to  them,  and  offer  a  sort 
of  prayer,  in  time  of  danger  and  distress.  As  an  illus- 
tration of  their  delusion,  and  degradation,  and  for  an 
outline  of  their  creed  and  worship,  its  objects  and  modes, 
take  the  following,  from  their  own  people,  and  in  their 
own  words,  translated  into  English. 

The  first  statement  is  from  one  who  had  forsaken 
these  superstitions  and  become  a  Christian.    He  says : 

"  "When  sickness  comes,  some  one  takes  something, 
and  goes  to  the  priest  to  inquire  about  the  sickness. 
And  when  he  arrives  at  the  priest's,  he  comes  up,  sits 
down,  and  pays  his  respects,  saying,  friend,  good  ncAvs. 
12* 


138 


ZULU-LAND. 


The  priest  remains  silent  for  a  time,  then  takes  his 
snuff-box,  and  says,  come  on,  let  us  go  yonder.  What 
have  you  brought?  Then  they  say,  0  king,  we  have 
brought  nothing  of  any  value ;  vre  have  brought — here 
is  a  trifle.  Then  he  pours  out  his  snuff,  and  snuffs,  and 
says,  come  my  friends,  speak  that  we  may  hear ;  smite, 
smite  ye;  {i.  e.,  smite  the  earth  with  rods,  that  I  may 
hear.)  Then  the  people  say,  hear.  And  he  says,  sick- 
ness. Then  the  people  say,  hear.  And  he  says,  smite 
ye  again.  Then  he  says,  it  is  in  the  chest.  And  the 
people  say,  hear.  Then  he  says,  it  is  in  the  belly.  And 
the  people  say,  hear.  Then  he  says,  it  is  in  the  head. 
And  the  people  say,  hear.  Then  he  says,  he  has  the 
worms.  And  the  people  say,  hear.  Then  he  says, 
smite  ye  again.  Then  the  people  say,  hear.  And  he 
says,  he  has  a  demon.  And  the  people  say,  hear.  He 
says,  his  paternal  shade  wants  something.  And  the 
people  say,  hear.  Then  he  says,  it  is  the  shades  of  his 
ancestors.  And  the  people  say,  hear.  His  ancestral 
shades  say,  why  is  it  that  he  does  not  care  for  us? 
Why  does  he  no  longer  recognize  us?  since  we  have 
preserved  him  from  infancy.  Then  the  people  say,  hear. 
Will  he  never  build  a  large  kraal  for  our  sake  ?  Why 
does  he  not  still  recognize  us?  Then  the  people  say, 
there,  that's  it.  And  he  says,  they  ask,  why  is  it  that 
no  offering  is  made  to  them  by  the  slaying  of  an  animal? 
Then  the  people  say,  there,  that  is  just  it.  Then  he 
says,  smite  again,  my  friend,  that  I  may  hear.  And 
the  people  say,  there,  there,  he  is  coming  nearer  and 
nearer  to  the  seat  of  the  difficulty.  Then  he  says,  his 
paternal  shade  is  angry  with  him.  And  the  people  say, 
hear.    Then  he  says,  he  is  diseased,  he  is  sick ;  the 


SUPERSTITIONS. 


139 


shades  are  calling  him.  Then  the  people  say,  who  told 
you? — hear.    Then  he  says,  smite  on  again,  my  friend. 

"Then  he  takes  out  his  snuff-box,  pours  out  some  snuff, 
and  takes  it,  the  people  who  were  smiting  being  now 
silent;  and  when  he  has  taken  some  snuff,  then  they 
also  go  and  ask  for  some ;  and  he  snuffs,  and  finishes  ; 
and  then  says,  smite  again,  my  friend.  And  the  people 
say,  hear.  Then  he  says,  he  has  a  biting  pain  in  the 
bowels.  Then  he  says,  he  is  sick,  he  is  very  sick. 
And  the  people  say,  hear.  Then  he  says,  should  an 
animal  be  offered  he  will  recover.  And  the  people  say, 
hear.  Then  he  says,  the  shades  require  that  particular 
cow  of  theirs. 

"  And  so  when  he  has  finished,  the  people  give  him 
the  present  which  they  brought,  and  go  home.  Arriv- 
ing at  home,  the  people  there  at  home  say,  come  now, 
tell  us,  that  we  may  hear  the  words  of  the  priest. 
What  did  he  pretend  to  say?  How  did  he  inquire  and 
perform?  Oh!  the  priest  performed  thus;  he  came 
and  followed  the  omen  of  the  occasion ;  he  came  and 
said,  he  is  sick ;  he  came  and  said,  he  has  a  disease ;  he 
came  and  said,  he  is  called  by  the  shades  of  his  ances- 
tors, who  reproach  him,  saying,  why  is  it  that  he  ac- 
knowledges them  no  longer,  since  long  ago  they  went 
and  delivered  him  from  great  suffering  while  other 
people  died?  Have  they  not  delivered  him  from  great 
evil?  Why,  then,  does  he  not  continue  to  acknow- 
ledge us,  and  give  us  what  we  require? 

"And  now  the  sick  man  admits  it  all,  and  says,  oh ! 
since  that  which  they  require  is  thus  required  by  them- 
selves, who  then  can  refuse  it?  Then  the  people  all 
say,  oh  !  yes,  as  you  say,  who  could  refuse  a  thing  when 


140 


ZULU-LAND. 


it  is  thus  demanded  hj  the  owners  themselves  ?  How 
can  the  priest  be  mistaken,  since  he  has  gone  so  evi- 
dently according  to  the  omen  ?  Do  not  ye  yourselves 
perceive  that  he  has  run  according  to  the  omen  ?  Then 
let  them  have  their  cow,  the  very  ^ame  which  they  have 
demanded ;  and  then  we  will  see  whether  sickness  will 
leave  me.  To  this  they  all  assent ;  and  noAV  some  one 
person  goes  out,  and  when  he  has  come  abroad  without 
the  kraal,  all  who  are  within  their  houses  keep  silence, 
while  he  goes  round  the  kraal,  the  outer  enclosure  of  the 
kraal,  and  says,  '  honor  to  thee,  lord' — offering  prayer 
to  the  shades,  he  continues — '  a  blessing,  let  a  blessing 
come,  then,  since  you  have  really  demanded  your  cow ; 
let  sickness  depart  utterly.  Thus  we  offer  your  animal. 
And  on  our  part  we  say,  let  the  sick  man  come  out, 
come  forth,  be  no  longer  sick,  and  slaughter  your  ani- 
mal, then,  since  we  have  now  consented  that  he  may 
have  it  for  his  own  use.  Glory  to  thee,  lord  ;  good  news  ; 
come  then,  let  us  see  him  going  about  like  other  people. 
Now,  then,  we  have  given  you  what  you  want ;  let  us 
therefore  see  whether  or  not  it  was  required  in  order 
that  he  might  recover,  and  that  the  sickness  might  pass 

by-' 

"  And  then  coming  out,  spear  in  hand,  he  enters  the 
cattle-fold,  comes  up,  and  stabs  it ;  the  cow  cries,  says 
y-e-h  !  to  which  he  replies,  an  animal  for  the  gods  ought 
to  show  signs  of  distress  ;  it  is  all  right  then,  just  what 
you  required. 

"  Then  they  skin  it,  eat  it,  finish  it.  The  disease 
still  remaining,  he  goes  and  talks  with  other  people,  and 
says :  how  is  it  with  me  that  I  have  slaughtered  my 
cow — it  was  said  to  be  required  by  my  paternal  shades — 


SUPERSTITIONS. 


141 


and  yet  I  have  never  recovered  ?  And  if  he  should  not 
recover,  most  of  the  people  begin  to  say,  oh  !  they  just 
went  and  forged  lies  ;  they  would  just  take  a  man's  last 
cow,  and  say  it  was  required  by  the  shades,  whereas 
that  cow  was  not  required ;  it  was  a  mere  device  of  the 
lips.  If  it  had  been  required  by  the  shades,  then  why 
has  he  not  already  recovered  ?  They  never  made  any 
such  request ;  it  was  a  mere  cheat  to  rob  a  man  of  his 
cow.  The  shades  did  not  require  it.  If  they  did,  then 
let  him  get  well ;  it  is  now  a  long  time  since  we  saw 
that  the  cow  was  required.  How  is  it  that  he  has  not 
recovered  ?  That  priest  has  been  fabricating  a  lie  ;  he 
does  not  know  how  to  inquire  of  the  oracle.  Let  us  go 
to  another  priest. 

"  They  consent,  take  a  present,  and  go  to  another 
priest.  Coming  to  the  other,  they  salute  him,  and  say, 
hail,  friend,  good  news.  And  then  he  would  inquire, 
saying,  what  present  have  you  brought  ?  And  they 
say,  we  have  brought  a  present  so  and  so.  Says  he, 
oh !  the  ghost  (oracle,  or  divinity)  refuses ;  he  is  not 
willing  that  I  should  inquire  to-day ;  he  is  absent. 
They  return  home,  and  go  to  another ;  arrive,  pay  their 
respects,  and  say,  hail,  friend,  good  news.  He  inquires, 
what  present  have  you  brought  ?  We  have  brought — 
here  is  our  present.  Then  after  sitting  a  short  time, 
he  calls  them,  and  S3ys,  sit  here.  Then  he  takes  out 
his  snuff-box,  takes  snuff,  and  talks  the  news  awhile ; 
and  after  a  little  time,  having  finished  the  snuff,  he  says, 
come  now,  my  friends,  speak  ye,  that  we  may  hear. 
And  they  say,  hear.  Then  he  says^  sickness ;  he  is 
afilicted ;  thy  brother  is  sick ;  smite,  that  I  may  hear. 
And  they  say,  hear.    He  is  sick — hear ;  he  is  sick  in 


142 


ZULU-LAND. 


the  belly ;  his  belly  is  bad.  And  tbey  say,  hear.  He 
has  a  biting  pr^in.  And  they  say,  hear.  The  pain  ex- 
tends from  the  back  to  the  hip.  They  say,  hear.  He 
says,  smite — hear — my  friend.  And  they  say,  hear. 
He  says,  he  has  a  ghost ;  he  is  called  by  his  deceased 
father,  who  says,  why  does  he  abuse  him  by  conducting 
in  that  manner  ?  His  father  is  weary.  They  say,  hear. 
He  says,  the  shade  of  thy  mother  says,  what  art  thou 
doing  there  yonder  to  her  ?  She  is  angry  with  thee. 
And  they  say,  hear.  Then  he  takes  snuff  ;  and  having 
finished  the  snuff  again,  he  says,  drive  the  hearing  again, 
my  friend.  And  they  say,  hear.  And  he  says,  thy 
father  demands  a  cow,  and  says,  of  the  cattle  of  so  and 
so  let  an  offering  be  made  by  slaughtering.  And  they 
say,  hear.  He  says,  smite.  They  say,  hear.  He  says, 
smite.  They  say,  hear.  He  says,  smite.  They  say, 
hear.  And  then,  when  he  has  finished,  they  give  him 
his  present,  and  go  home  ;  and  when  they  have  arrived 
at  home,  the  people  at  home  inquire,  saying,  what  did 
the  priest  pretend  to  say  ?  And  they  say,  oh  !  thus  per- 
formed that  priest,  and  pretended  to  say,  the  ancestral 
spirit  requires  that  particular  cow,  thy  favorite ;  and 
says,  since  the  cattle  are  mine,  being  given  to  you  by 
myself,  why  have  you  never  made  me  a  decent  offering  ? 
And  when  all  have  heard,  then  the  sick  man  says,  oh ! 
since  the  owners  themselves  decide  thus,  why,  what  can  I 
say  ?  So  then  let  them  have  an  offering.  And  then  I 
will  see  whether  or  not  I  shall  recover.  Now,  then,  let 
me  recover,  since  I  have  made  them  an  offering. 

"Perhaps  beer  was  prepared,  with  the  understanding 
that  some  might  like  beef  and  beer.  Then  some  one 
goes  out,  and  there  talks ;  and  accordingly  all  the  peo- 


SUPERSTITIONS. 


143 


pie  keep  silence,  and  listen  to  wliat  lie  says,  to  wit : — 
0  ye  dwellers  below,  shades,  ye  our  fathers,  there  then 
is  your  cow ;  we  offer  the  same.  Now,  then,  let  this 
your  sick  one  recover  ;  let  disease  depart  from  him  ;  the 
cow  is  already  your  own. 

"  Then  he  goes  back  into  the  house,  takes  a  spear, 
goes  out  with  it,  and  then  the  cow  is  slaughtered ;  and 
when  she  bellows,  he  says,  let  your  cow  cry  then,  and 
bring  out  the  evil  which  fis  in  me ;  let  it  be  known 
abroad  then,  that  it  is  your  cow,  which  was  required  by 
yourselves.  Thus  it  is  slaughtered,  thus  it  dies;  and 
the  rest  of  the  cattle  are  put  out  to  pasture,  while  this 
remains  dead  in  the  fold,  and  is  left  alone  for  a  time ; 
then  they  go  into  the  house,  then  come  out  and  skin  it ; 
and  when  they  have  finished,  they  cut  it  up,  and  carry 
it  into  the  house.  And  taking  the  gall,  he  pours  it 
over  himself,  and  says,  yes,  then,  good  business  this ; 
let  all  evil  come  to  an  end.  Then  the  meat  is  shut  up 
in  the  house,  and  is  said  to  be  eaten  by  the  ancestral 
shades  in  the  house.  No  one  ever  opens  the  house  while 
it  is  said  the  shades  are  eating  the  beef.  Then  the  con- 
tents of  the  stomach  are  strewn  upon  the  houses  of  the 
man  himself.  And  it  comes  to  pass,  towards  evening, 
that  they  open  the  house,  cook  the  meat,  and  then  eat 
it,  and  finish  the  whole." 

By  way  of  explanation  and  farther  illustration  my 
native  narrator  continues  : — 

"  When  they  are  sick,  they  slaughter  cattle  to  the 
shades,  and  say,  father,  look  on  me,  that  this  disease 
may  cease  from  me.  Let  me  have  health  on  the  earth, 
and  live  a  long  tin  3.  They  carry  the  meat  into  the 
house,  and  shut  it  up  there,  saying,  let  the  paternal 


144 


ZULU-LAND. 


shades  eat,  so  shall  they  know  that  the  offering  was 
made  for  them,  and  grant  us  great  wealth,  so  that  both 
we  and  our  children  may  prosper. 

"  In  the  cattle-fold  they  talk  a  long  time,  praising  the 
ghosts  ;  they  take  the  contents  of  the  stomach,  and  strew 
it  upon  all  the  fold.  Again  they  take  it,  and  strew  it 
within  the  houses,  saying,  hail,  friend!  thou  of  such  a 
place,  grant  us  a  blessing,  beholding  what  we  have  done. 
You  see  this  distress ;  may  you  remove  it,  since  we  have 
given  you  our  animal.  We  know  not  what  more  you  want, 
whether  you  still  require  anything  more  or  not. 

"  They  say,  may  you  grant  us  grain,  that  it  may  be 
abundant,  that  we  may  eat,  of  course,  and  not  be  in 
need  of  anything,  since  now  we  have  given  you  what 
you  want.  They  say,  yes,  for  a  long  time  have  you 
preserved  me  in  all  my  going.  Behold,  you  see,  I  have 
just  come  to  have  a  kraal.  This  kraal  was  built  by 
yourself,  father;  and  now  why  do  you  consent  to  dimi- 
nish your  own  kraal?  Build  on  as  you  have  begun,  let 
it  be  large,  that  your  offspring,  still  here  above,  may  in- 
crease, increasing  in  knowledge  of  you,  whence  cometh 
great  power. 

"  Sometimes  they  make  beer  for  the  ghosts,  and  leave 
a  little  in  the  pot,  saying,  it  will  be  eaten  by  the  ghosts 
that  they  may  grant  an  abundant  harvest  again,  that 
we  may  not  have  a  famine.  If  one  is  on  the  point  of 
being  injured  by  anything,  he  says,  I  was  preserved  by 
our  divinity,  which  was  still  watching  over  me.  Per- 
haps he  slaughters  a  goat  in  honor  of  the  same,  and  puts 
the  gall  on  his  head;  and  when  the  goat  cries  out  for 
pain  of  being  killed,  he  says,  yes,  then,  there  is  your 
animal,  let  it  cry,  that  ye  may  hear,  ye  our  gods  who 


SUPERSTITIONS. 


145 


have  preserved  me;  I  myself  am  desirous  of  living  on 
thus  a  long  time  here  on  the  earth;  why,  then,  do  you 
call  me  to  account,  since  I  think  I  am  all  right  in  re- 
spect to  you?  And  while  I  live,  I  put  my  trust  in  you 
our  paternal  and  maternal  gods." 

The  following  is  the  account  which  a  true  believer 
in  these  practices  has  given  of  them.  His  language 
shows,  as  you  will  perceive,  that  he  has  great  confidence 
in  the  doctor's  diagnosis. 

They  arrive  and  pay  their  respects  thus,  saying, 
hail,  friend,  according  to  the  honor  which  belongeth  to 
thee.  Then  presently  he  goes  with  them  outside  of  the 
kraal,  and  says,  consent  ye.  Then  they  say,  hear.  He 
says,  if  they  have  come  because  of  sickness,  you 
have  come  because  of  sickness.  And  if  it  be  an  in- 
fant, he  says,  the  sickness  is  in  a  child,  the  belly.  And 
should  it  be  a  case  of  worms,  he  says,  it  is  a  case  of 
worms ;  they  are  in  his  stomach ;  you  must  seek  a  cer- 
tain medical  man  for  him,  who  will  dislodge  them.  But 
he  will  not  be  sick  when  he  has  dislodged  them.  Ac- 
cordingly, they  go  to  that  doctor  who  deals  in  herbs, 
and  when  he  has  dislodged  them  he  recovers. 

"  Perhaps  they  go  for  an  old  person,  and  proceed  as 
before ;  they  pay  their  respects,  and  say,  hail,  friend, 
according  to  your  office.  And  then  he  takes  them,  and 
goes  without  with  them,  and  arriving,  says,  let  them 
consent.  They  say,  hear.  He  says,  you  have  come  in 
behalf  of  an  old  person.  They  consent,  and  say,  hear. 
He  says,  he  is  attacked  with  disease^  If  it  is  in  the 
head,  he  says,  the  disease  is  in  the  head.  They  say, 
hear.  He  says,  come  now,  consent,  my  friends.  They 
say,  hear.  He  says,  let  me  hear  what  the  disease  is. 
13 


146 


ZULU-LAND. 


They  consent,  and  say,  hear.  And  if  he  has  disease  in 
the  head,  he  says,  he  has  disease  in  the  head ;  he  must 
have  a  decoction  of  herbs  prepared  for  him ;  and  it  will 
descend  from  the  head  and  break  out  in  the  lower  limbs. 
And  it  may  be  another  is  sick,  having  some  internal 
disease.  Or  perhaps  they  say,  he  has  evil  spirits ;  let 
a  certain  cow  be  slaughtered  ;  the  cow  being  slaugh- 
tered, he  recovers.  So  another  has  evil  spirits,  though 
he  is  killed  by  the  witches.  In  respect  to  another,  the 
priests  smell  after  a  difficulty  which  is  not  in  the  sick 
man ;  and  then  others  smell  out  this  disease  which  is  in 
that  man ;  and  tell  him  of  a  doctor  who  will  have  power 
over  him.  Another  has  had  poison  given  him  in  his 
food ;  and  for  him  they  must  seek  a  doctor  who  will  give 
him  an  emetic.  Yet  another  is  suffering  from  enchant- 
ment ;  and  yet  another  from  witchery. 

"  Then,  of  course,  the  animal  comes,  and  is  slaugh- 
tered at  home.  And  they  come  and  address  the  spirits, 
and  say,  eat  ye,  ye  so  and  so,  there  is  your  animal. 
"Why  should  you  come  and  claim  one  of  our  people  ? 
and  say,  he  must  die  ?  Are  ye  not  satisfied  with  de- 
manding your  cow  ?  Thus  they  praise  them  with  their 
songs ;  and  then  they  praise  their  grandmothers,  who 
are  in  advance  of  their  fathers.  Then  the  cow  is  slain, 
and  the  contents  of  the  stomach  are  scattered  about  the 
whole  fold,  being  mixed  with  the  contents  of  the  yard ; 
for  they  are  afraid  of  the  witches,  saying,  they  will 
come  and  take  out  the  umswani,  and  then  the  sick  man 
will  have  a  relapse  ;  therefore  it  is  mingled.  And  when 
the  meat  is  ready,  it  is  all  carried  into  the  house  and 
left  there.  The  blood  is  cooked.  The  house  is  shut, 
that  no  one  may  enter.    At  night,  the  little  boys  sleep 


SUPERSTITIONS. 


147 


there.  In  tlie  morning,  it  is  brought  out  and  cooked  ; 
and  companies  come  from  the  kraals  to  eat  the  head. 
And  when  tliey  have  finished  eating,  they  render  thanks, 
saying,  the  company  is  thankful,  and  hopes,  in  view  of 
this,  that  the  man  may  recover  and  continue  to  enjoy 
health ;  though  so  and  so  (the  ghosts)  would  have  done 
an  evil  thing ;  but  since  their  cow  has  been  eaten,  the 
man  ought  now  to  escape  and  remain." 

When  death  actually  comes,  the  friends  of  the  de- 
ceased set  up  a  general  wail, — run  to  and  fro,  in  and 
about  their  kraal,  wringing  their  hands,  smiting  their 
breasts,  and  crying  for  an  hour,  more  or  less,  at  the  top 
of  their  voices,  weeping  and  lamenting  for  the  dead.  A 
kind  of  grave  is  then  dug,  often  under  the  fence  of  the 
kraal,  sometimes  within,  sometimes  without ;  the  corpse 
is  interred  in  a  sitting  posture,  the  same  day ;  and  the 
place  covered  over  with  stones,  or  fenced  about  with 
thorn-bushes,  to  keep  it  from  being  disturbed  by  man  or 
beast.  The  most  of  the  garments  and  implements 
which  belonged  to  the  deceased,  are  buried  with  the 
body. 

The  burial  over,  all  parties  rush  to  the  river  for  a 
general  ablution.  Then  some  animal, — goat  or  cow, — 
must  be  slaughtered  to  propitiate  the  gods.  Medicines 
must  also  be  obtained,  mixed  with  parts  of  the  slaugh- 
tered animal,  such  as  the  brains,  and  administered  to 
the  survivors,  to  ward  off  evil,  and  make  them  proof 
against  disease  and  death.  Having  remained  a  few 
months  to  guard  the  grave,  a  new  building  spot  is 
chosen,  and  the  kraal  removed. 

When  they  begin  to  occupy  a  new  kraal,  whether  on 
an  occasion  like  the  above  or  not,  the  first  thing  to  be 


148 


ZULU-LAND. 


done  is  to  offer  an  animal  to  the  gods,  and  propitiate 
their  favor. 

The  natives  are  exceedingly  averse  to  touching  a 
dead  body  ;  and  when  a  stranger  falls  sick  among  them, 
and  seems  about  to  die,  he  is  sometimes  cast  out,  yet 
alive,  and  left  in  the  open  field,  or  in  a  jungle  to  die,  or 
to  be  eaten  by  beasts  of  prey,  ere  life  becomes  extinct. 
But  I  have  never  known  an  instance  of  their  treating  a 
friend  or  acquaintance  in  this  revolting  manner. 

We  have  seen  how  this  poor  people  try  to  cure  dis- 
ease and  avoid  death.  But  how  do  they  account  for  the 
origin  of  this  great  evil  ?  They  ascribe  it  to  a  decree 
of  Unkulunkulu,  the  very  great  one  ;  and  in  their  spe- 
culations on  the  subject,  you  may  think  that  we  find 
a  relic  of  an  ancient  truth, — a  tradition  which  would  in- 
dicate that  the  ancestors  of  the  Zulu-Kafir  knew  some- 
thing of  the  account  which  the  Scriptures  give,  "  Of 
man's  first  disobedience,  and  the  fruit  of  that  forbidden 
tree,  whose  mortal  taste  brought  death  into  the  world, 
and  all  our  woe." 

On  this  subject,  to  take  their  own  words  again,  and 
turn  them  into  English — "  The  people  say,  to  begin  with 
their  origin,  there  was  sent  a  chameleon,  the  command 
being,  let  him  proceed,  go  and  tell  all  people,  and  pro- 
claim, saying,  let  not  the  people  die.  And  after  the 
chameleon,  there  was  sent  a  lizard  (or  salamander)  that 
he  might  proclaim,  again,  saying,  let  the  people  die.  It 
came  to  pass  on  the  way,  the  chameleon  delayed  to  come 
to  say,  let  them  not  die.  But  the  lizard  ran  hard,  and 
overtook  the  chameleon  lingering  to  eat  mulberries, 
walking  just  a  little,  not  running  hard.  But  the  lizard 
ran  hard,  arrived,  and  said,  the  command  is,  let  the  pco- 


SUPERSTITIONS. 


149 


pie  die.  And  afterwards  the  chameleon  arrived,  the 
lizard  having  already  arrived ;  and  the  chameleon  pro- 
claimed, saying,  the  command  is,  let  the  people  not  die. 
And  as  he  was  speaking  thus,  he  received  a  slap  in  the 
face  from  the  lizard,  saying,  get  thee  gone  !  the  com- 
mand is,  let  the  people  die.  But  the  people  asked  him, 
saying,  whence  comest  thou  ?  The  lizard  told  us  first, 
saying,  it  is  said,  the  people  must  die.  As  for  you,  you 
lingered  for  mulberries.  As  for  ourselves,  said  they, 
we  have  already  received  the  lizard's  (message.) 

"  But  if  the  people  tell  us  (about  it,)  at  just  this  pre- 
sent time,  they  say,  people  would  not  have  died,  if  the 
chameleon  had  arrived  first,  and  shouted,  let  not  the 
people  die;  whereas  the  lizard  came  first,  and  said,  let 
the  people  die.  But,  even  now,  a  portion  of  the  people 
hate  the  lizard,  saying,  why  is  it  that  he  ran  first,  and 
said,  let  the  people  die?  Some  see  it,  and  love  to  beat 
it,  and  kill  it,  saying,  why  did  it  speak?  And  again,  a 
portion  of  the  people,  those  who  hear  by  the  ears,  being 
told  by  a  few  old  people,  having  heard  this,  they  hate 
the  chameleon,  and  love  to  push  it  aside,  saying,  that 
is  the  little  thing  which  delayed  to  tell  the  people  that 
they  should  not  die ;  (had  he  told  them,)  w^e  too  should 
not  have  died ;  our  ancestors  also  would  have  been  still 
living;  there  would  have  been  no  diseases  here  on  the 
earth.    It  all  comes  from  the  delay  of  the  chameleon." 

In  respect  to  the  umtakati,  plural  abataJcati,  the  so- 
called  wizards  or  witches,  I  scarcely  know  where  to  be- 
gin, nor  where  I  shall  end.  They  are  certainly  a  very 
mysterious  diss  of  persons.  The  natives'  idea  of  them 
is,  that  they  are  the  worst  characters  that  could  have 
being;  in  fact,  that  they  are  not  fit  to  live,  and  only 
18  * 


150 


ZULU-LAND. 


deserve  to  be  put  to  death  in  the  most  horrible  and 
summary  manner.  Hence,  under  their  own  law,  a  man 
is  no  sooner  suspected  of  being  an  umtahati  than  he  is 
smelt  out,  condemned  and  despatched.  Many  no  doubt, 
are  willing  to  do,  and  some  even  attempt,  all  the  evil 
of  which  they  are  reputed  to  be  capable.  I  think, 
however,  that  the  people  ascribe  to  them  far  higher 
powers  than  they  possess,  and  a  far  worse  character 
than  they  deserve ;  and,  too,  that  the  ahatakati  them- 
selves have  far  too  exalted  notions  of  their  own  abili- 
ties. 

Bad  as  they  are  thought  to  be,  however,  it  is  not  al- 
lowable to  execute  witches  without  a  trial,  nor  without 
the  king's  command.  But  the  trial  is  a  mere  sham. 
The  people  call  an  assembly  and  form  an  investigating 
committee,  having  among  them  an  m?/a7^^a,  witch-doctor, 
or  priest,  whose  business  it  is  to  "smell  out'  the  cul- 
prit. Of  course,  the  doctor  knows  very  well  whom  the 
people  wish  to  have  condemned  ;  and,  so,  after  the  usual 
ceremonies,  he  gives  judgment  accordingly. 

Many  are  the  evils  for  which  the  wizards  have  to 
answer.  Sometimes  they  bring  sickness,  and  even 
death,  upon  a  man,  woman,  or  child  ;  upon  a  cow,  a  calf, 
sheep,  or  goat.  Or  they  are  guilty  of  doing  an  injury 
to  the  gardens, — causing  noxious  weeds  to  grow,  and 
the  crops  to  fail.  In  short,  they  are  up  to  everything 
that  is  difficult,  despicable,  and  wicked. 

The  means  by  which  the  villain  works  all  this  mis- 
chief are  various.  At  one  time,  he  puts  poison  in  the 
gate-way,  in  the  path,  in  the  field,  or  strews  it  upon  the 
house,  where  the  party  he  wishes  to  injure  resides  or 
has  to  pass ;  at  another,  he  is  said  to  make  use  of  owls, 


SUPERSTITIONS.  151 

Wild-cats,  baboons,  leopards,  or  snakes,  to  effect  bis  ini- 
quitous designs. 

One  of  the  most  unlikely,  and  repulsive  modes  of 
mischief,  ascribed  to  them,  is  that  which  relates  to  what 
are  called  the  umJcovu,  plural  imikovu,  specters,  or  hob- 
goblins. When  any  one  dies, — so  the  story  goes, — the 
abafaJcati,  wizards,  hunt  for  the  body,  dig  it  up,  give  it 
physic,  restore  it  to  life,  burn  a  hole  in  the  head,  cut 
out  the  tongue,  then  reduce  the  monster  to  the  form  of 
a  cat,  wolf,  or  owl ;  and  so  make  it  a  servant,  and  set 
it  to  do  their  work,  to  dig  their  gardens,  run  on  errands, 
catch  game,  kill  people,  or  anything  else  they  may  re- 
quire to  be  done.  Should  the  wizard  be  overtaken  or 
interrupted  in  the  midst  of  his  work,  he  flees,  leaving 
the  body  half  restored,  which  then  remains  alive,  and 
goes  wandering  about  the  country,  a  fool  or  an  idiot. 
If  he  succeeds  in  completing  his  goblin-servant,  when 
he  wishes  to  bring  evil,  that  is,  sickness  or  death  upon 
some  house,  he  has  only  to  send  his  cat,  owl,  or  wolf, 
at  dead  of  night,  within  hearing  distance  of  the  devoted 
habitation,  with  orders  to  cry,  in  the  Zulu  tongue, 
''^maye!  maye! — woe!  woe!"  By  this  cry  the  party 
is  doomed ;  nor  must  any  of  the  people  stir  hand  or 
foot,  speak,  or  make  a  noise,  while  the  cry  is  heard ; 
else  every  heedless  wight  that  does  so  must  also  die. 
Whether  the  wizards  and  their  agents,  the  weird  owl, 
w^olf,  or  cat,  are  duly  thankful  for  this  guarantee  that 
they  shall  not  be  sought  out  nor  disturbed  in  delivering 
their  doleful  message,  does  not  appear. 

The  following  accounts,  which  I  take  from  the  natives 
themselves,  will  give  some  farther  idea  of  the  estimate 
in  which  the  ahataJcati  are  held  by  the  multitude,  also 


152 


ZULU-LAND. 


of  the  ma  mer  in  wliich  tliey  are  tried  and  banished,  or 
put  to  death, — executed,  in  Zulu-land,  under  their  own 
laws,  but  banished  or  driven  out  of  the  neighborhood, 
in  Natal ;  since  the  power  of  capital  punishment  does 
not  belong  to  the  natives  under  British  rule.  The  first 
account  was  taken  from  the  lips  of  a  Christian  native, 
and  has  respect  to  Natal. 

"  When  death  occurs  in  a  family,  some  one  goes  to 
inquire  of  the  priest.  Many  people  go  to  form  an  in- 
vestigating commission.  An  animal  is  provided,  in 
order  to  bring  a  multitude  together  upon  the  commission. 
The  priest  comes  and  performs  his  incantations  in  the 
midst  of  them,  and  says,  smite  ye,  that  I  may  hear,  my 
friends.  All  the  people  speak,  as  they  are  sitting  down 
around  him,  and  say,  attention  !  silence !  He  says, 
smite  ye,  my  friends  ;  they  all  speak  and  say,  attention ! 
silence!  And  thus  he  smells  out  the  person  among 
them,  and  says,  I  myself  think  you  are  wasted  by  this 
so  and  so  (pointing  out  a  person).  This  man  stoutly 
denies,  saying,  no,  I  never  touched  poison  with  these 
hands  of  my  father;  neither  have  I  the  least  knowledge 
of  it ;  neither  was  poison  ever  known  among  my  people. 
Come,  for  I  will  appeal,  and  be  heard  by  another  priest. 

"  Then  his  friends  agree  with  him,  saying,  yes,  we 
too  have  no  knowledge  that  so  and  so  is  thus  guilty  of 
witchery  ;  we  never  knew  him  to  touch  poison.  We  are 
utterly  confounded.  Come,  then,  let  us  appeal  for  him 
to  be  heard  by  another  priest. 

"  Perhaps  he,  also,  comes  and  condemns  him,  saying, 
we  believe  he  is  really  guilty  of  witchery.  To  another 
they  go,  taking  a  cow,  which  they  give  him.  The  people 
assemble  before  that  priest ;  he  performs,  and  goes 


SUPERSTITIONS. 


153 


through  witli  Lis  incantations,  inquiries,  and  says,  my 
friends,  come  now,  speak,  that  I  may  hear.  They  say, 
attention  !  silence  !  He  says,  I  myself  contend  for  this 
one ;  another  priest  says  he  is  guilty ;  but  I  do  not  con- 
sent. I  think  he  has  no  knowledge  of  poison,  and 
never  touched  the  least  particle.  There  is  one,  who 
destroys  the  people  referred  to ;  he  lives  far  away  in 
another  place  ;  he  does  not  belong  to  the  home  of  this 
man.    And  so  they  return,  when  he  has  finished. 

And  then  there  arises  a  great  dispute  among  all  the 
people  of  that  tribe,  saying,  why  did  the  other  priest 
not  admit  that  he  is  guilty  of  witchcraft  ?  Why  did  he 
refuse,  and  say  it  was  somebody  else  ?  And  hence 
there  is  a  great  quarrel  in  that  tribe.  Therefore  they 
banish  the  man  whom  the  priest  condemned,  saying,  go, 
build  far  away  among  distant  tribes ;  dwell  not  with  us. 
And  then  he  departs,  and  goes  to  reside  among  his  dis- 
tant friends. 

"Another,  perhaps,  they  kill.  Another,  perhaps, 
they  watch,  and  just  say  nothing ;  and  at  another  time, 
in  the  night,  they  see  him  walking  about  their  home, 
the  people  being  asleep,  he  having  come  from  his  own 
kraal ;  they  see  him  walking  about  in  the  night,  behind 
their  houses,  wishing  to  jump  over  the  fence  of  the 
kraal,  and  flee,  and  hide.  But  perhaps  they  catch  him 
as  he  is  jumping  over  the  fence ;  they  bind  him  in  the 
night ;  they  ask  him,  what  do  you  want  here  ?  Do  you 
wish  to  kill  us  ?  They  heat  some  water  to  the  boiling 
point.  Some  sharpen  sticks ;  while  others  take  the 
boiling  water  and  a  horn." — [The  rest  of  this  account  is 
too  inhuman  to  be  translated.  Suffice  it  to  say,  that  the 
man  does  not  survive  th^^r  cruelty.] 


* 


154 


ZULU-LAND. 


The  following  was  given  me  hj  a  Zulu,  and  has  re- 
spect to  the  treatment  of  the  ahatahati  under  the  reign 
of  such  men  as  TJmpande,  Dingan,  and  Chaka  : — 

"  When  one  is  sick,  his  friends  go  to  inquire  of  the 
commission  as  to  the  cause  and  remedy.  The  priest 
comes  in  and  says,  smite,  that  I  may  hear ;  you  have 
come  on  a  case  of  witchcraft.  The  people  say,  hear. 
He  says,  smite,  that  1  may  hear.  They  say,  hear. 
You  have  come  concerning  a  great  man  ;  he  is  sick  ;  the 
disease  is  in  a  certain  place ;  he  is  killed  by  somebody. 
And,  if  the  person  who  killed  the  other  be  at  the  home 
of  the  sick  man,  he  says,  he  was  killed  by  a  person  at 
home.  He  says,  smite,  that  I  may  hear ;  it  is  some  one 
who  lives  with  him.  They  say,  hear.  He  says,  smite, 
that  I  may  hear ;  there  is  evil  coming ;  he  is  given  to 
witchcraft ;  he  has  left  the  multitude,  and  become  a 
wolf ;  but  now  I  know  him,  and  he  shall  be  killed  ;  he 
does  not  sleep  by  night ;  but,  in  time  of  sleep,  he  goes 
about  bewitching  other  people  ;  therefore  he  must  be 
killed,  his  cattle  confiscated,  and  possession  be  taken  of 
his  grain  and  every  thing  else." 

In  respect  more  to  the  details  of  capturing  and  exe- 
cuting the  alleged  wizard,  the  Zulu  remarks  again  : — 

"  When  it  is  reported  that  there  is  a  wizard  about, 
some  one  who  built  with  him,  if  he  destroys  his  people, 
starts  and  goes  up  to  the  king ;  and  on  arriving,  he 
speaks  ^ith  the  servants  ;  and  the  servants  go  and  tell 
the  king.  And  when  they  have  told  the  king,  he  shows 
great  displeasure,  and  says,  can  it  be  there  is  a  wizard 
about?  and  that  he  should  destroy  another  man's  kraal? 
He  himself  deserves  to  die.  Go  ye,  and  kill  him  this 
very  moment.    Then  he  (Uitipande)  fits  out  a  mill- 


SUPERSTITIONS. 


155 


tary  force,  "which  goes  at  once,  and  by  night,  to  kill 
him. 

"  And  when  they  have  nearly  reached  the  place  where 
he  lives,  they  enter  a  neighboring  kraal  and  remain 
there.  And  when  it  is  dark,  they  assemble  within  the 
kraal,  where  the  wizard  resides,  for  he  has  none  of  his 
own.  Now  the  force  having  arrived  that  day,  some  one 
of  the  company  will  have  gone  to  inform  the  head-man 
with  whom  the  wizard  resides.  Then  the  head-man 
calls  all  his  people  together,  saying,  come  ye,  listen, — 
here  is  a  man  who  has  come  from  the  king.  Perhaps 
they  ask  what  he  has  come  for  ?  And  he  replies,  say- 
ing, he  has  come  to  call  me.  After  a  while,  the  head- 
man makes  a  motion  to  one  of  his  people,  and  points 
out  the  individual  who  is  to  be  killed.  Then  the  man 
who  came  from  the  king,  says,  let  us  go  outside  and 
have  a  talk  ;  and  so  they  go  out.  And  the  master  of 
the  kraal  calls  the  man  who  is  to  be  killed,  and  goes  out 
w^ith  him  first.  Then  the  man  who  came  from  the  force 
remains  with  the  rest  of  the  people  of  the  place,  and 
converses  with  them,  saying,  you  must  not  be  frightened ; 
I  come  from  the  king ;  and  you  must  kill  the  man  who 
has  gone  out  v/ith  the  master  of  the  kraal ;  look  out  for 
him,  that  he  does  not  get  away.  Seize  him  at  once ; 
just  when  I  shall  begin  to  talk,  and  say,  the  king  has 
said  to  thee,  that  head-man, — just  then  seize  him  at 
once. 

"  Should  he  (the  wizard)  have  sons,  the  king  inquires, 
saying,  has  he  any  sons  there  ?  And  if  they  answer, 
saying,  there  are,  the  king  says,  let  them  be  called. 
And  accordingly  they  are  called,  and  go  up  to  go  to  the 
king.    And  wheq  they  get  there,  they  remain  till  after 


156 


ZULU-LAND. 


their  fiither  is  killed;  for  there  is  fear  of  the  sons,  lest 
they  may  stab  the  people,  if  their  father  should  be  killed 
in  their  presence. 

^'  Some  wizards  are  killed  by  their  own  head-men, 
without  first  going  to  the  king  about  it.  The  king, 
being  informed  by  those  who  happen  to  be  on  good  terms 
with  him,  is  exceedingly  enraged.  Perhaps  he  kills  all 
the  people  of  those  kraals  who  killed  the  king's  favor- 
ite ;  his  order  being,  so  let  all  those  people  be  destroyed, 
nor  let  a  dog  escape." 

It  would  be  doing  great  injustice  to  the  inyanga, 
plural  izinyanga,  doctors,  diviners,  or  quasi  priests,  were 
I  to  dismiss  the  subject  of  my  present  chapter  without  a 
more  particular  notice  of  them.  They  may  be  divided 
into  several  classes  ;  though  the  lines  of  division  cannot 
be  drawn  with  any  very  well  defined  accuracy. 

The  term  inyanga^  in  its  largest  acceptation,  signifies 
any  one  who  has  a  trade  or  profession, — a  blacksmith  or 
basket-maker,  tanner  or  ferryman,  a  cattle  doctor,  one 
skilled  in  the  use  of  herbs  and  the  lancet  for  the  dis- 
eases of  mankind,  or  one  possessed  of  supernatural 
power,  knowledge,  or  perception,  so  as  to  be  able  to 
hold  converse  with  the  spiritual  world,  and  find  out 
things  which  are  hid  from  the  eyes  of  common  men.  In 
the  more  limited  use  of  the  word,  it  signifies,  par  excel- 
lence,  the  two  last  named  professions, — a  doctor  of 
medicine;  and  a  diviner,  priest,  wizard-finder,  or,  as  he 
is  more  commonly  called,  a  witch-doctor. 

The  doctor  of  medicine  may  be  a  self-taught  man, 
one  who  has  picked  up  some  knowledge  of  diseases 
roots,  and  herbs,  by  observation  and  experience ;  or  he 
may  have  sought  to  qualify  himself  for  the  profession 


SUPERSTITIONS. 


157 


bj  going  to  study  for  a  time  with  one  who  is  already 
known  as  a  doctor. 

The  natives  have,  doubtless,  some  knowledge  of  dis- 
eases and  their  remedies.  Eor  example,  they  make  use 
of  the  male  fern  {inkomankoma — Lastrea  Filix  3fas,) 
as  a  remedy  for  the  tapeworm,  as  Europeans,  both  an- 
cient and  modern,  have  also  done.  They  rely,  too,  a 
good  deal,  on  cupping,  making  use  of  an  ox-horn,  with 
the  tip  cut  off  and  applied  to  the  mouth,  as  a  cupping- 
glass.  Medicines  are  often  administered  by  scarifying, 
and  rubbing  them  in  upon  the  surface.  But  the  little 
knowledge  which  they  possess  is  so  mixed  up  with  error, 
and  their  useful  medicines  are  so  adulterated  by  useless  or 
even  positively  hurtful  combinations  that,  for  the  most 
part,  it  would  doubtless  be  better  for  the  sick  that  no- 
thing were  done.  And  if  this  must  be  said  of  their  best 
doctors  of  medicines,  what  shall  be  thought  of  their 
inyanga  yohuhula,  plural  izinyanga  zoJcubula — those  who 
find  out  diseases  and  all  evils,  their  causes  and  reme- 
dies ;  find  out  and  reveal  secrets,  by  professedly  superna- 
tural means,  by  dreams,  visions,  and  converse  with  the 
shades  of  the  dead  ?  Examples  have  been  given  of  the 
manner  in  which  he  proceeds,  how  he  calls  the  people 
before  him,  requires  them  to  smite  the  earth  with  their 
rods,  and  respond  to  his  guesses.  In  this  way,  if  he 
have  no  knowledge,  or  even  opinion,  as  to  the  case  in 
question,  he  manages  to  make  the  people  tell  what  they 
know  or  think  about  it,  and  gives  decision  accordingly. 
And  so  willing  are  the  people  to  be  duped,  provided  it 
be  done  professionally  and  at  some  little  expense,  that 
they  will  go  a  long  way  to  see  a  doctor,  help  him  through 
all  the  tricks  of  his  incantations,  then  pay  and  praise 
14 


158 


ZULU-LAND. 


him  as  a  most  marvelously  successful  diviner ;  when,  in 
fact,  he  has  told  them  nothing  save  what  they  first  told 
him.  Nor  is  it  difficult  to  understand  how  he  is  often 
able  to  impress  them  with  a  sense  of  his  supernatural 
discernment,  when  we  bear  in  mind  that  he  has  agents, 
observers,  and  eavesdroppers,  out  in  all  directions,  pick- 
ing up  all  sorts  of  information,  facts,  and  suspicions, 
about  everybody  and  everything,  and  reporting  all  to 
him  for  special  use  in  time  of  need.  Add  to  this  that 
his  answers  are  often  ambiguous,  after  the  style  of  the 
ancient  Delphian  oracles ;  that  he  utters  his  oracular 
sayings  with  an  air  of  the  surest  knowledge,  and  that 
he  speaks  to  a  people  who  are  only  too  glad  to  believe 
all  he  says,  and  we  have  a  key  to  his  reputation  as  one 
who  is  inspired  and  able  to  tell  men  the  cause  and  cure 
for  all  the  evils  which  they  suffer. 

As  to  the  manner  in  which  the  diviner  attempts  to 
attain  his  "high  degree,"  I  cannot  describe  it  in  any 
way  better  than  by  giving  you  an  extract  from  Dohne's 
"  Zulu-Kafir  Dictionary,"  where,  speaking  of  the  in- 
yanga  yokuhula,  he  says :  "  He  must  be  d  priori,  an 
inyanga  yokwelapa,  a  doctor  of  medicine,  and  must 
have  practiced  as  such,  in  order  to  become  a  man  who 
is  the  oracle  of  the  nation.  He  has  to  go  through  a 
course  of  experiment  of  an  extraordinary  nature.  Ac- 
cording to  the  idea  of  this  profession,  he  must  be  re- 
duced to  a  low  condition,  in  order  to  become  acquainted 
with  the  amaJilozi ;  that  is,  spectres,  under  whose 
directions  he  is  expected  to  act.  From  them  he  is  to 
obtain  all  information  about  the  causes  of  evil,  (sick- 
ness, death,  &c.,)  and  about  the  remedies  to  be  em- 
ployed.   For  that  purpose  he  has  to  adopt  a  very  spare 


SUPERSTITIONS. 


159 


diet,  the  more  abstemious  the  better ;  he  must  expose 
his  body  to  all  kinds  of  wants  and  sufferings,  as  also 
inflict  castigation  upon  it.  He  must  often  dive  into 
deep  water  for  the  sake  of  trying  whether  he  can 
see  at  the  bottom,  or  whether  he  may  there  catch 
sight  of  the  amaJdozi,  or  obtain  some  revelation  from 
them.  He  must  go  into  the  solitude  of  the  field,  the 
wilderness,  and  other  horror-exciting  places,  to  make 
observations  there  by  listening  to  the  wind,  or  the  air, 
attending  to  the  noise  and  cries  of  birds  and  wild  ani- 
mals, day  and  night,  if  in  any  possible  way  he  may 
come  into  connection  with  the  amahlozi.  Besides,  and 
above  all,  he  must  engage  in  frequent  dancing  and  other 
fatiguing  exercises  of  the  body,  until  his  health  begins 
to  decline,  his  strength  fails,  and  he  sinks  into  a  faint- 
ing fit,  or  great  exhaustion,  (the  consequence  of  which 
is,  sometimes,  certain  madness.)  Having,  during  the 
time  of  these  exercises,  been  told  a  great  deal  about 
the  amahlozi,  and  the  whole  system  of  superstition,  it  is 
no  wonder  that  he  then,  some  day  in  his  fainting  fit,  has 
peculiar  feelings  and  imaginations,  or  receives  impres- 
sions which  he  is  not  able  to  explain  himself;  or  that 
he  should  fall  into  a  deep,  death-like  sleep  for  several 
days,  from  which  no  one  may  be  allowed  to  awake  him, 
as  that  state  is  the  very  ecstasy  he  must  experience. 
At  this  stage  he  begins  to  speak  of  his  wanderings, 
visions,  dreams,  conversations  with  the  amahlozi,  &c. ; 
henceforth  he  is  acknoAtledged  as  a  professional  man, 
and  enters  upon  the  practical  part  of  his  ukutwasa — 
his  duties  as  a  doctor  of  divination." 

To  the  same  effect  is  the  following  account,  which  I  took 
from  the  lips  of  a  Zulu,  a  genuine  believer  in  diviners. 


160 


ZULU-LAND. 


"  It  comes  to  pass  that  the  candidate  for  this  degree 
is  sick  till  the  end  of  the  year,  and  then  he  undergoes 
a  course  of  medicine,  that  he  may  surpass  those  doctors 
who  practice  medicine.  And  then,  when  he  makes 
his  appearance,  he  appears  with  a  wish  to  enter  pools. 
He  returns,  covered  with  a  whitish  claj,  bringing 
snakes  ;  and  then  they  go  to  the  priests.  They  say, 
my  friend,  that  man  is  becoming  a  priest.  And  then 
he  is  taken,  sent  away,  and  brought  to  those  who  have 
taken  the  priest's  degree.  And  when  he  arrives  there, 
they  take  him,  and  go  and  throw  him  into  the  waters 
of  the  sea ;  and  having  thrown  him  in,  there  they  leave 
him ;  nor  is  he  seen  again  all  that  day,  nor  all  of  the 
next.  After  some  days,  he  arrives  with  his  degree, 
ready  to  practice.  Having  arrived,  he  begins  to  dance 
with  the  songs  with  which  he  returned ;  and  the  people 
clap  their  hands  for  him.  He  slaughters  goats,  and 
cattle,  everything  save  sheep ;  and  the  reason  these  are 
left  is  because  they  never  cry  when  they  are  slain ;  he 
wants  something  which  will  cry  when  it  is  about  to  be 
slaughtered.  With  the  bladders  and  gall-bags  he  covers 
his  head,  till  they  hang  about  in  all  directions.  He 
enters  pools  of  water  abounding  in  serpents  and  alliga- 
tors. And  now  if  he  catches  a  snake,  he  has  power 
over  that ;  or  if  he  catches  an  alligator,  he  has  power 
over  that ;  or  if  he  catches  a  leopard,  he  has  power 
over  the  leopard ;  or  if  he  catches  a  deadly  poisonous 
serpent,  he  has  power  over  the  most  poisonous  serpent. 
And  thus  he  takes  his  degrees,  the  degree  of  leopards, 
that  he  may  catch  leopards,  and  of  serpents,  that  he 
may  catch  serpents." 

A  few  words  about  Ukwechwama^  or  the  opening  of 


SUPERSTITIONS. 


161 


the  new  year  with  what  is  called  the  feast  of  first  fruits, 
shall  finish  our  chapter.  According  to  native  law  and 
custom,  no  individual  is  allowed  to  taste  new  corn  or 
any  of  the  fruits  of  the  new  year,  till  the  king  gives 
his  sanction,  which  is  always  done  in  the  most  public, 
formal  manner  by  a  general  celebration.  The  feast, 
or  gathering,  is  made  at  the  king's  great  town  about  the 
first  of  January,  which  is  the  time  when  green  mealies 
(maize)  is  just  the  right  size  for  roasting,  or  boiling,  and 
eating.  The  occasion  serves  for  a  general  muster  of 
all  the  military  forces  of  the  nation — a  grand  review — 
when  also  old  soldiers  are  allowed  to  retire  and  marry, 
and  new  recruits  are  gathered  in  to  fill  their  places. 
Nor  can  the  feast  be  kept  without  the  services  of  the 
ablest  izinyanga,  doctors,  who,  with  the  help  of  the 
cooks,  must  furnish  a  preparation  for  the  kings  and  his 
subjects  to  taste  and  apply  to  the  various  parts  of  the 
body,  to  make  them  strong,  healthy,  and  prosperous 
the  coming  year.  The  man  who  ventures  to  taste  new 
food  before  going  through  this  ceremony,  and  getting 
with  it  the  king's  permit,  will  surely  die — so  they  say. 

The  celebration  lasts  several  days.  One  of  the  first 
things  is  for  the  warriors  to  catch  and  kill  a  bull  which 
has  been  chosen  and  furnished  for  the  purpose ;  nor 
must  they  use  any  rope,  thong,  or  weapon  of  any  kind, 
but  catch  and  kill  the  animal  in  some  way  with  their 
naked  hands.  This  done,  the  doctor  opens  it,  takes  out 
the  gall,  mingles  it  with  other  medicines,  and  gives  it  to 
the  king  and  his  people  to  drink.  The  flesh  is  given  to 
the  boys,  to  eat  what  they  like  and  burn  the  rest  with 
fire  ;  the  men  not  being  allowed  to  taste  it.  Other  cat- 
tle are  now  slaughtered,  and  the  feasting,  reveling,  and 
14  * 


162 


ZULU-LAND. 


dancing  are  begun  in  earnest,  and  kept  up  till  all  are 
sated  and  weary.  During  the  last  day,  they  form  a 
semi-circle  into  which  the  king  enters  ;  and,  after  leap- 
ing, dancing,  and  singing  his  own  praises, — his  glory, 
greatness  and  power, — in  the  presence  of  the  silent, 
gazing  throng,  he  breaks  a  green  calabash  in  pieces, 
thereby  signifying  that  he  opens  the  new  year,  and 
grants  the  people  leave  to  eat  of  the  fruits  of  the 
season. 

To  discover  the  original  idea  of  this  ceremony,  is 
difficult.  So  far,  however,  as  we  can  interpret  the  mean- 
ing, both  the  killing  of  the  bull  and  the  crushing  of  the 
calabash  seem  to  be  symbolical  of  the  great  power  which 
the  king  alone  claims  and  exercises, — indirectly,  indeed, 
or  by  means  of  his  soldiers  upon  his  enemies ;  yet  di- 
rectly and  absolutely  upon  his  own  people,  who  must 
have  his  leave  to  eat,  must  thank  him  for  all  their  food ; 
and  who  also  openly  acknowledge  and  extol  him  as  a 
god  in  the  favors  he  grants  and  in  the  dispensation  and 
indulgence  of  all  heathenish  lusts. 

Nothing  can  show  more  clearly  than  the  language 
and  the  customs  of  this  people,  how  far  they  have  wan- 
dered from  the  true  God — how  thick  the  darkness  in 
which  they  grope ! 


MATKIMOXIAL  AFFAIRS. 


163 


CHAPTER  XII. 

MATRIMONIAL  AFFAIRS  IN  ZULU-LAND. 

Woman  was  here  the  po-werless  slave  of  man 

Thus  fallen  Adam  tramples  fallen  Eve, 

Through  all  the  generations  of  his  sons, 

In  whose  barbarian  veins  the  old  serpent's  venom 

Turns  pure  affection  into  hideous  lust. 

And  wrests  the  might  of  his  superior  arm 

(Given  to  defend  and  bless  his  meek  companion) 

Into  the  very  yoke  and  scourge  of  bondage ; 

Till  limbs  by  beauty  moulded,  eyes  of  gladness, 

And  the  full  bosom  of  confiding  truth. 

Made  to  delight  and  comfort  him  in  toil. 

And  change  care's  den  into  a  halcyon's  nest. 

Are  broke  with  drudgery,  quench'd  with  stagnant  tears. 

Or  wrung  with  lonely  unimparted  woe.  Montgomery. 

Among  the  Amazulu,  under  the  reign  of  their  own 
chiefs,  Chaka,  Dingan,  or  Umpande,  preparation  for 
wax  being  deemed  of  the  first  importance,  no  man  is  al- 
lowed to  marry  till  his  ruler  gives  him  leave.  The  best 
years  of  his  life  must  be  devoted  to  military  pursuits. 
From  the  time  he  is  able  to  grasp  the  spear  and  shield, 
and  endure  the  fatigue  of  long,  forced  marches,  he  must 
hold  himself  ready  at  a  moment's  warning  to  go  on  some 
predatory  excursion,  or  to  help  resist  some  advancing 
foe.  Having  served  in  the  army  for  five,  ten  or  twenty 
years,  according  to  the  king's  good  pleasure,  at  the 


164 


ZULU-LAND. 


great  national  gathering,  the  feast  of  first  fruits,  he  and 
his  veteran  comrades  are  discharged,  or  excused  from 
ordinary  service,  allowed  to  marry,  and  to  have  a  home 
of  their  own.  As  a  badge  of  their  maturity  and  free- 
dom, they  are  now  allowed  to  wear  the  head-ring. 

The  same  law  holds  in  a  measure  among  the  tribes 
of  Natal ;  but  under  the  British  rule,  and  in  time  of 
continued  peace,  the  observance  is  not  very  strict.  As 
a  general  thing  in  Natal,  the  young  man  thinks  himself 
at  liberty  to  marry  as  soon  as  he  can  find  cattle  enough 
to  pay  for  a  wife.  The  idea  of  looking  to  his  chief  for 
permission  to  be  'of  age,'  and  meddle  with  matrimony, 
if  it  come  at  all  into  his  mind,  comes  more  from  respect 
to  an  old  national  usage  than  from  any  sense  of  depend- 
ence upon  the  will  of  his  king.  More  dependent  is  he, 
generally,  upon  the  will  of  his  father ;  since  from  him 
he  must  often  have  aid  in  making  out  the  number  of 
required  cattle — five,  ten,  twenty,  or  fifty  head,  accord- 
ing to  the  rank,  beauty,  and  ability  of  the  girl  to  be 
bought,  or  according  to  the  state  of  the  matrimonial 
market.  A  widow,  or  any  woman  of  advanced  age, 
may  be  had  for  less  than  a  girl  in  her  prime,  and  some- 
times on  credit.  In  fact  the  English  government  is  just 
now  talking  of  a  law  to  let  the  widow  go  free, — and  for- 
bidding her  proprietor  to  require  any  pay  on  her 
second  marriage. 

It  is  a  painful  part  of  South  African  experience  to 
note  the  debasing  effects  of  this  custom — ukulohola — on 
the  female  mind.  Instead  of  shrinking  from  the  idea 
of  being  bought  and  sold  for  cattle,  the  poor  heathen 
girl  glories  in  it,  esteeming  it  a  proof  of  her  worth. 
Nor  is  the  man  himself  (whilst  a  heathen)  willing  to 


MATRIMONIAL  AFFAIRS. 


165 


have  a  wife  for  nothing.  In  fact,  the  parties  would 
hardlj  think  themselves  married,  unless  the  man  should 
either  pay  or  promise  something  for  his  wife ;  the 
strength  and  validity  of  the  marriage  bond  consisting 
chiefly  in  this  commercial  contract, — so  far  have  poly- 
gamy and  heathenism  rooted  out  all  right  ideas  of 
marriage. 

Should  the  woman  prove  to  be  a  very  serviceable  wife, 
according  to  the  Zulu  standard,  that  is,  healthy,  fruit- 
ful, and  efficient,  her  former  proprietor  will  press  a  de- 
mand upon  her  husband  for  more  cattle ;  and  should 
the  husband  be  unable  to  pay,  at  least  the  stipulated 
number,  the  children  must  be  mortgaged,  and  go  to  set- 
tle the  debt.  Should  the  woman  be  unfortunate,  fee- 
ble, have  no  children,  or  lose  what  she  may  have,  her 
husband  may  send  her  back  to  her  father,  or  former 
proprietor,  w^hoever  or  whatever  he  may  be,  and  demand 
compensation.  Obedient  to  the  call,  her  father  slays 
an  animal,  ox  or  cow,  prays  their  ancestral  gods  to  be 
gracious,  sends  the  woman  back  with  half  the  beef,  and 
hopes  all  will  be  right.  Should  the  poor  woman  prove 
more  prosperous  and  acceptable  to  her  lord,  he  retains 
her ;  but  should  he  wish  to  part  with  her  permanently, 
he  seeks  some  accusation  against  her,  sends  her  back, 
and  demands  the  cattle  which  he  paid  for  her.  If  she 
has  children,  she  leaves  them  with  her  so-called  hus- 
band, in  which  case  he  has  no  claim  to  the  cattle.  Were 
it  not  for  the  almost  interminable  delay  and  difficulty 
of  establishing  a  charge  against  the  woman,  and  recover- 
ing the  cattle  after  they  have  been  once  paid  over,  cases 
of  this  kind  would  be  much  more  frequent  than  they 
are.    Sooner  than  throw  himself  upon  the  glorious 


166 


ZULU-L^ND. 


uncertainty  of  the  law,"  the  dissatisfied  man  generally 
prefers  to  repudiate  the  woman  as  a  wife,  yet  retain  her 
as  a  slave,  and  go  on  to  marry  others  as  fast  as  his 
means  will  allow. 

Nor  do  native  law  and  custom  impose  any  limit  to  the 
number  of  wives  a  man  may  have,  provided  he  can  find 
them  and  obtain  the  means  with  which  to  purchase  them. 
Since  peace  has  prevailed  in  Natal  for  the  greater  part 
of  the  generation  now  passing,  the  number  of  men,  of 
whom  many  were  wont  to  be  cut  ofi*  by  war,  is  fast 
coming  on  to  equal  that  of  the  other  sex.  Peace  is  no 
friend  to  polygamy.  The  difficulty  in  the  way  of  a 
man's  multiplying  wives  within  the  colony,  at  the  pre- 
sent time,  would  be  still  greater  but  for  the  fact  that  a 
few  females  are  smuggled  into  the  country  from  the 
bordering  tribes. 

Polygamy  has  often  been  a  cause  of  war  among  the 
tribes  in  which  it  has  prevailed.  Chaka's  predatory 
raids  not  only  brought  cattle  and  women  from  abroad, 
but  also  greatly  reduced  the  number  of  men,  both  at 
home  and  abroad,  so  that  he  could  never  be  at  a 
loss  for  means  to  supply  a  retiring  regiment  with  as 
many  wives  as  they  could  wish.  Although  the  practical 
operation  of  peace  is  to  restore  the  equality  of  the 
sexes  among  the  natives  of  Natal,  yet,  so  long  as  the 
government  allows  the  custom  called  ukuloboUsa,  the 
selling  of  women  in  marriage  for  cattle,  just  so  long  the 
richer,  and  so,  for  the  most  part,  the  older,  and  the 
already  married  man  will  be  found,  too  often,  the  suc- 
cessful suitor, — not  indeed  at  the  feet  of  the  maiden, 
for  she  is  allowed  little  or  no  right  to  a  voice  as  to  whom 
she  shall  marry,  but  at  the  hands  of  her  heathen  pro- 


MATRIMONIAL  AFFAIRS. 


167 


prietor,  who,  in  his  degradation,  looks  less  at  the  affec- 
tions and  preferences  of  his  daughter,  than  at  the  surest 
way  of  filling  his  kraal  with  cattle,  and  thus  providing 
for  buying  himself  another  wife  or  two. 

It  is  a  sad  fact  that  these  commercial,  compulsory 
elements  enter  very  largely  into  the  polygamic  system 
of  this  people,  and  so  go  to  make  it  a  most  bitter  thing 
for  the  female.*  For  every  woman  that  has  not  been 
degraded  by  heathen  polygamic  customs  to  a  perfect 
level  with  the  brute,  must  prefer  to  be  the  only  wife  of 
the  man  to  whom  she  is  married ;  and,  in  my  opinion, 
the  various  kinds  of  torture  which  are  so  often  resorted 
to  by  the  father  and  friends  of  a  girl,  to  compel  her  to 
marry  contrary  to  her  choice,  in  ninety-nine  cases  out 
of  a  hundred,  are  in  consequence  of  the  commercial 
and  polygamic  character  of  the  marriages.  The  man 
whom  the  woman  hates  can  pay  better  than  the  one  she 
loves  ;  or  she  abhors  the  thought  of  being  made  a  ser- 
vant of  servants  in  the  shape  of  a  wife,  and  of  entering 
the  list  of  rivalry  with  half  a  dozen  others,  for  a 
fraction  of  a  man's  affections,  where  God  and  nature 
designed  that  she  should  have  the  whole  as  a  free  gift. 

A  single  case,  as  it  occurred  under  my  own  eye,  will 
illustrate  the  points  before  us.  Aroused  once  from  my 
slumbers,  by  the  clamor  of  men  in  my  yard  at  dead  of 
night,  I  asked  the  cause.  They  replied  that  one  of 
their  girls  had  escaped,  and  they  were  in  search  of  her. 
I  said  we  had  seei  and  heard  nothing  of  her,  and  re- 
quested them  to  withdraw  and  be  silent  till  morning. 
An  hour  or  two  later,  the  girl  came  to  the  kitchen, 

*  As  the  Author  argued  in  his  Reply  to  Bishop  Colenso's  Defence  of 
Polygamy. 


168 


ZULU-LAND. 


having  passed  the  night,  thus  far,  in  the  bush,  with  wild 
beasts,  to  elude  the  grasp  of  her  pursuers. 

The  men  appeared  again,  at  early  dawn,  and  de- 
manded the  girl.  She  had  worshiped  occasionally,  as 
she  could  get  opportunity,  at  our  station,  had  enjoyed 
the  blessing  of  God  upon  medical  aid  at  our  hands  ;  and, 
unknown  to  us,  had  formed  an  attachment  for  one  of 
the  Christian  young  men  at  our  station  ;  and  would 
have  been  glad,  I  doubt  not,  to  profess  the  Christian 
faith.  The  young  man  had  reciprocated  the  affection, 
and  made  his  wishes  known  to  her  and  to  her  friends. 

But  now  a  polygamist  had  come  for  her,  who  could 
command  all  the  cattle  that  her  friends  could  wish. 
They  demanded  the  girl ;  she  refused  to  go, — said  she 
would  sooner  die  than  submit  to  their  demands.  She 
withdrew  into  the  kitchen,  and  forced  her  way  into  the 
pantry,  to  escape  their  power.  Unable  to  retain  her 
by  force,  I  brought  her  out,  placed  her  before  them,  and 
labored  long  to  convince  them  that  the  girl  ought  to  be 
allowed  to  marry  the  man  of  her  choice ;  that  he  was  a 
worthy,  kind,  intelligent  man ;  I  had  known  him  long, 
and  had  seldom  seen  his  equal  in  social  and  moral  ex- 
cellence. But  no  ;  the  girl  they  must  and  would  have  ; 
she  must  marry  according  to  their  wishes,  and  not  her 
own.  Again  she  escaped,  and  forced  her  way  into  the 
house,  and  plead  to  be  allowed  to  remain, — with  tears 
of  anguish  begged  that  I  would  have  mercy  on  her,  and 
not  deliver  her  up  to  her  tormentors.  I  told  her  I  was 
sorry  for  her,  and  could  weep  over  her  destiny,  but  that 
it  was  not  in  my  power  to  help  her.  I  had  already  had 
two  cases  of  a  similar  kind,  (the  second  almost  precisely 
the  same ;)  I  had  referred  them  both  to  the  constituted  au- 


MATRIMONIAL  AFFAIRS. 


169 


thorities  of  the  land ;  and  both  had  been  decided,  virtually, 
— the  second  openly  and  clearly, — against  me,  and  in 
favor  of  the  girl's  proprietors.  I  say  "proprietors," 
for  in  both  of  these  cases,  the  claimants  of  the  girls  had 
simply  inherited  them  as  cattle,  or  claimed  them  as 
"marriage  payments,"  a  sort  of  mortgage  upon  some 
sister  or  other  female  kindred  that  had  been  married, 
but  not  paid  for.  I  knew,  that,  according  to  native 
''law  and  custom,"  I  was  bound  to  give  the  girl  up  to 
her  merciless  owners,  and  suffer  her  to  be  sold  into  po- 
lygamy and  heathenism  ;  and  from  the  experience  of 
the  past,  that  I  had  nothing  to  hope  from  a  reference  to 
the  British  Colonial  Government.  I  therefore  told  the 
poor  girl  that  I  could  render  her  no  assistance,  and  ad- 
vised her  to  go  quietly  home  to  her  friends.  She  re- 
fused, and  begged  again,  most  imploringly,  to  be  allowed 
to  remain. 

Again  I  endeavored  to  persuade  her  friends  to  allow 
her  to  have  the  man  of  her  choice ;  but  all  to  no  pur- 
pose. I  saw  that  the  only  way  in  which  this  lovely 
young  woman — for  such  she  was — could  ever  succeed, 
would  be  by  a  dogged  endurance  of  various  kinds  of 
torture  for  weeks  and  months,  if  not  for  years.  I 
warned  the  men  against  personal  maltreatment  of  the 
poor  girl,  and  her  tears  fell  not  alone,  as  her  cruel 
people  gathered  around  her,  and  pulled,  shoved,  and 
pushed  her,  till  they  disappeared  behind  the  hill. 
"Whether  her  own  repeated  predictions,  and  those  of  my 
people,  proved  true,  that  she  would  be  cruelly  beaten 
as  soon  as  they  were  out  of  my  sight,  and  be  subjected 
to  every  possible  abuse,  till  she  should  comply  with  the 
wishes  of  her  proprietor,  I  know  not.  I  only  know  that 
15 


17C 


ZULU-LAND. 


she  has  been  sold  to  the  polygamist,  for  whose  cattle 
she  was  hunted  down,  and  her  affections  trampled  in  the 
dust. 

My  ear  is  pain'd. 
My  soul  is  sick  with  every  day's  report 
Of  wrong  and  outrage  with  which" 

this  land  "is  filled."  These  merciless,  compulsory  mar- 
riages, which  abound  among  the  natives,  are  the  direct 
fruit  of  their  polygamy,  and  of  that  slavish  position  to 
which  polygamy  has  reduced  the  women,  and  in  which 
the  men  are  determined  to  hold  them.  In  numberless 
cases,  they  must  be  married  to  just  the  man  who  can 
pay  best :  and,  once  married  to  him, — if  indeed  a  rela- 
tion so  forced  and  servile  can  claim  that  name, — he  has 
the  same  control  over  them  as  over  anything  else  which 
he  may  have  purchased. 

When  a  man  from  among  this  people,  especially  a 
young  man,  thinks  of  contracting  a  matrimonial  alli- 
ance, he  often  finds  it  but  too  true,  that  there  is  "many 
a  slip  between  the  cup  and  lip."  To  woo  and  win  as 
well  as  buy,  and  that  where  custom  requires  the  man  to 
conduct  the  most  of  his  matrimonial  affairs  by  proxy, 
and  makes  him,  moreover,  dependent  on  another  for 
purchase  money,  is  a  work,  in  view  of  which  men  of 
even  less  valor  than  Miles  Standish  might  well  prefer 
to— 

"  Be  but  a  fighter  of  battles,  a  lover  and  wooer  of  dangers." 

Under  British  rule,  however,  many  a  rigid  native  cus- 
tom is  growing  lax.  Most  of  the  sable  sons  of  the 
colony  are  beginning  to  find  out  that  it  is  better  to  earn 
their  own  cattle,  as  they  can,  in  these  days,  by  work- 
ing for  the  white  man,  than  to  depend  upon  a  father 


MATRIMONIAL  AFFAIRS 


171 


ur  guardian  for  them.  They  are  also  beginning  to  learn, 
with  the  valiant  Miles  Standish,  that,  in  matrimonial 
affairs,  it  is  better  to  speak  each  one  "for  himself  alone," 
if  he  would  have  his  cause  speed  well.  Under  pure  and 
rigid  native  law,  as  in  Zulu-land,  or  in  the  days  of  Chaka, 
where  all  right  and  power  emanated  from  the  king,  and 
where  the  king  held  each  man  responsible  for  the  mem- 
bers of  his  family,  or  kraal,  of  course  the  Puritan  mai- 
den's advice  would  hardly  be  found  practicable. 

When  personal  rank,  wealth,  beauty,  address,  or 
other  attractions  prove  unavailing,  the  Zulu  lover  has 
great  confidence  in  the  subduing  influence  of  certain 
medicinal  preparations.  Knowing  or  fearing  that  his 
affections  are  not  reciprocated,  he  prepares  a  philter 
for  the  object  of  his  love ;  hoping  thereby  to  move  her 
heart  in  his  favor.  Various  are  the  preparations  of  this 
kind,  and  various  the  ways  of  administering  them, — 
one  of  which  is  to  reduce  the  herb,  bark,  or  other 
charming  substance  to  a  powder,  and  send  it  by  the 
hand  of  some  unsuspected  friend  to  be  given  in  a  pinch 
of  snuff,*  deposited  in  the  dress,  or  sprinkled  upon  the 
person  of  the  party  whose  affections  are  to  be  kindled 
or  won.  Perhaps  the  most  common  occasion  for  a  re- 
sort to  measures  of  this  kind  is  where  the  lover  has  a 
rival.  Neither  is  the  practice  limited  to  any  particular 
age,  sex,  condition,  or  method.  Only  a  few  days  ago, 
I  met  a  young  man  wearing  perhaps  fifty  pieces  of 
wood,  bark,  roots,  herbs,  and  other  things  about  his 
neck.  On  being  asked  what  all  that  meant,  he  replied 
that  he  had  put  them  on  as  a  means  of  retaining  the 
affections  of  his  young  wife,  during  his  absence  from 
home. 


172 


ZULU-LAND. 


When  tlie  parties  are  at  liberty  to  manage  affairs  for 
themselves,  as  among  those  who  have  come  out  from 
their  native  heathen  customs  and  put  themselves  under 
the  better  influences  of  mission  stations,  the  proceed- 
ings are  much  more  after  the  civilized  Christian  style. 
The  woman  has,  however,  much  less  reserve  about  intro- 
ducing the  subject  and  putting  the  question  to  the  other 
party. 

The  engagement  made,  and  the  time  for  celebrating 
the  nuptials  being  at  hand,  a  wedding  party  is  made  up 
at  the  home  of  the  bride,  consisting  of  parents,  kindred, 
friends,  to  conduct  her  to  the  kraal  of  the  man  she  is  to 
marry ;  the  escort,  in  their  best  attire, — their  bodies  well 
anointed ;  their  limbs  arrayed  in  beads,  brazen  rings, 
or  leathern  thongs ;  and  their  heads  stuck  full  of  fea- 
thers, or  bound  about  with  oxtail  fillets.  The  bridal 
dress  consists  chiefly  of  two  garments, — the  hide  of  an 
ox,  tanned  soft,  with  a  nap  on  the  outer  side ;  stained 
black  ;  and  adorned  especially  about  the  edges,  with 
rows  or  clusters  of  large  brass  buttons.  This  garment 
wrapped  about  the  body,  reaches  from  the  waist  to  the 
knees ;  while  the  breast  is  covered  with  a  piece  of  blue 
calico,  hanging  loosely  from  the  neck  and  shoulders. 

Starting  for  the  wedding  and  her  new  home,  she 
takes  with  her  a  few  bunches  of  beads  and  other  pre- 
sents, to  distribute  among  the  particular  friends  of  the 
groom ;  her  proprietor  must  take  an  ox  to  be  slaugh- 
tered as  an  offering  to  the  shades  of  the  dead,  their  an- 
cestral gods,  that  they  may  smile  on  the  house  of  the 
bride  and  make  it  to  prosper ;  also  another  animal  for 
the  bridegroom,  as  a  germ  of  others, — a  presage  that 
his  fold,  now  empty  of  all  cattle  through  the  draft  made 


MATRIMONIAL  AFFAIRS. 


173 


upon  it  in  the  purchase  of  a  wife,  shall  yet,  by  her  fruit- 
fulness,  be  filled  again. 

Arriving  at  the  kraal  of  the  bridegroom,  when  every- 
thing is  ready,  the  new-comers  begin  to  dance  and  sing; 
the  bride  and  her  younger  attendants  commencing  the 
exercise :  nor  is  it  long  ere  the  young  men  of  the  kraal 
join  them  ;  the  old  mothers  of  the  bride  meantime  sing- 
ing her  praises,  setting  forth  the  care  with  which  she 
has  been  educated,  her  beauty  and  ability,  her  many 
virtues,  graces  and  charms;  while  the  old  mothers  at 
her  new  home  take  the  counterpart, — all  leaving  the 
bridegroom  and  his  companions  seated  at  a  little  dis- 
tance to  look  on  and  listen.  At  length  the  master  of 
the  kraal  slaughters  an  ox  belonging  to  the  bridegroom, 
whereupon  all  parties  leave  dancing  and  singing,  and 
go  to  feasting  and  carousing;  and  so  bridegroom  and 
bride,  according  to  Zulu-Kafir  law  and  custom,  become 
husband  and  wife. 

The  man  now  gives  the  bride's  mother  an  animal, 
which  is  also  slaughtered ;  and  after  various  excuses 
and  regrets  that  he  is  not  now  able  to  finish  paying  for 
the  new  wife,  with  a  promise  that  the  rest  of  the  cattle 
shall  bo  delivered  over  as  soon  as  possible,  the  cere- 
monies, festivities,  and  business  of  the  occasion  are 
ended. 

15^ 


174 


ZULU-LAND. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

character; — moulding  agencies; — bent  and  capa- 
cities OF  the  native  mind. 

That  the  Zulu-Kafir  tribes  should  have  some  marked 
peculiarities  of  mental  development  and  character  would 
be  presumed.  But  these  characteristic  traits  seem  due  less 
to  an  original  peculiarity  of  mental  constitution  than  to 
circumstances.  Strong  moulding  agencies,  operating  upon 
a  nation  from  age  to  age,  such  as  climate,  government, 
religion,  commerce,  cannot  fail  to  give  its  mind  some 
marked  modification.  This  fact,  so  well  known  in  the  case 
of  the  Anglo-Saxon,  the  German,  the  French,  and  the 
Spanish  races  is  not  less  true  of  the  tribes  of  South- 
Eastern  Africa. 

To  the  influence  of  their  government  and  laws,  I  have 
already  alluded.  The  debasing  tendency  of  their  re- 
ligion, their  superstitions,  their  omens,  their  augury, 
their  prayers  to  the  shades  of  the  dead,  their  intense 
dread  of  a  supernaturally  mischievous  power  in  the  so- 
called  wizard,  their  confidence  in  the  divinations  of  the 
doctors,  their  belief  in  the  efficacy  of  charms  and 
amulets, — all  these  things  have  exerted  a  most  deplor- 
ably degrading  influence  on  the  mind  and  heart  of  the 
people. 


ZULU  CHARACTER. 


175 


There  is,  however,  another  class  of  modifying  agen- 
cies to  which  allusion  has  not  been  made ;  I  refer  to 
the  influence  of  the  climate,  and  the  country  in  which 
this  people  have  their  abode.  In  neither  of  these  do  we 
find  anything  greatly  fitted  to  invigorate  the  body,  or 
inspire  and  energize  the  mind. 

Here  are  not  those  long-continued  and  cold  winters, 
which  make  men  diligent  to  prepare  food  and  clothing, 
and  which  have  so  powerful  a  tendency  to  stimulate  all 
the  mental  faculties,  as  well  as  those  of  the  body.  Here 
are  none  of  those  lofty  forest-trees  and  mountains,  look- 
ing ever  upward,  and  with  a  steady,  solemn,  significant 
grandeur,  pointing  men  to  the  skies,  and  to  the  mighty 
God  who  made  them, — all  which  have  had,  in  various 
ways,  a  powerful,  though  silent  influence  to  raise  and 
enlarge  the  minds  of  men  in  other  lands.  On  the  con- 
trary, the  mountains,  though  they  have  an  extended 
base,  have  but  the  most  moderate  elevation ;  and  their 
tops  are  generally  as  level  as  the  plains.  So  the  forests, 
for  the  most  part,  are  but  low,  contracted  jungles,  with 
here  and  there,  indeed,  a  tree  of  a  hard,  enduring  fibre, 
quite  erect,  and  straight  withal, — but  abounding  most 
in  crooked,  gnarly  shrubs,  and  thorny  bushes.  And  as 
with  the  jungles  and  mountains,  so  with  the  people. 
The  mind  is  debased  and  groveling,  groping  in  dark- 
ness among  the  sens  ialities  of  the  world. 

As  a  careful  observer  and  pleasing  writer,  resident 
among  this  people,  has  said :  The  Kafir  is  far  from 
being  as  honest  in  word  as  he  is  in  acts.  It  is  not 
in  his  nature  to  be  straightforward  in  speech,  and 
to  tell  the  whole  truth.  He  is  prone  to  have  very 
large  reservations  in  his  own  mind  when  he  is  avowedly 


17r>  ZULU-LAND. 

giving  a  full  account  of  some  occurrence,  and  manages 
to  disguise  and  distort  facts  with  exceeding  cleverness 
and  skill.  A  Kafir  will  excuse  a  fault  with  such  ready 
plausibility,  that  he  will  make  an  intentional  act  of 
wrong  doing  seem  but  an  undesigned  accident.  He  is 
also  a  consummate  hypocrite.  Praise  and  flattery  are 
commonly  on  his  tongue,  when  there  is  only  contempt 
within  his  breast,  and  when  he  thinks  the  man  whom  he 
is  flattering  but  little  better  than  a  fool. 

"  The  Kafir  is  greedy  and  stingy.  He  is  very  fond 
of  cattle,  and  of  money  also,  when  he  has  learned  what 
it  is.  With  the  exception  of  the  practice  of  hospitality, 
which  has  been  alluded  to,  he  is  a  miser,  and  influenced 
by  an  unaccountable  impulse  to  hoard.  It  is  a  maxim 
with  him  that,  '  It  is  better  to  receive  than  to  give.'  It 
is  almost  impossible  to  ascertain  what  a  Kafir  is  worth. 
He  always  pleads  poverty  and  hunger.  However  easy 
in  circumstances  he  may  be,  he  is  always  unwilling  to 
buy  clothes.  All  his  cash  must  be  turned  into  cows. 
It  is  to  buy  cows  that  he  works  and  saves.  The  Ka- 
fir's mode  of  taking  care  of  his  money  is  to  tie  it  up 
in  a  piece  of  rag,  with  so  many  knots  that  it  is  next 
to  impossible  even  to  get  the  fastenings  undone,  other- 
wise than  by  the  adoption  of  Alexander's  plan  in  a 
similar  case. 

"  Beneath  their  light-heartedness,  sociality,  and  po- 
liteness, the  Kafirs  have  a  considerable  vein  of  grosser 
ore.  They  quarrel,  as  well  as  talk.  They  easily  take 
ofi"ence,  and  their  most  usual  mode  of  settling  the  dis- 
pute in  such  cases,  is  to  club  each  other  fiercely.  The 
ladies  of  a  kraal  may  sometimes  be  seen  rating  each 
other  soundly  with  their  heads  just  protruded  from  the 


ZULU  CHARACTER. 


17T 


low  portals  of  the  several  huts  ;  and  occasionally,  when 
the  verbal  sharpness  has  acquired  a  certain .  edge,  they 
rush  forth  upon  each  other,  and  continue  the  dispute, 
at  the  point  of  the  nail.  In  cases  of  extremity  they  get 
their  little  affairs  finally  brought  into  arrangement  by 
the  authoritative  application  of  the  marital  club.  The 
anger  of  the  wild  Kafir  is  blind  and  unreasoning  rage, 
when  it  has  reached  a  certain  point.  As  might  be  ex- 
pected, in  this  respect,  uncivilized  barbarians  very  much 
resemble  the  lower  and  irrational  members  of  creation. 
When  they  break  through  the  surface-shell  of  good 
humor  and  politeness,  they  are  devoid  of  all  farther  re- 
straint, and  then  fight  like  dogs,  which  turn  the  sharp 
tooth  towards  an  antagonist's  throat,  until  one  or  other 
of  the  combatants  is  beaten  or  cowed.  It  must,  how- 
ever, be  added  that  the  Kafirs  are  not,  as  a  general 
rule,  vindictive  in  their  resentments.  In  Kafir-land 
the  moral  tempest  commonly  passes  by  as  quickly  as  the 
thunder-storm ;  and  when  the  sunshine  again  breaks 
out,  it  is  without  any  cloudy  obstruction  from  revenge, 
or  moroseness." 

In  all  the  configuration,  scenery,  and  climate  of  this 
part  of  Africa,  there  is  a  remarkable  degree  of  unifor- 
mity and  moderation,  qualities  in  which  the  native  mind, 
for  savages,  is  not  deficient ;  nay,  in  which,  but  for  cer- 
tain opposing  causes,  it  would  greatly  excel.  No  coun- 
try, bordering  on  the  ocean,  presents  fewer  harbors,  so 
few  and  such  moderate  indentations,  and  has  so  seldom 
an  island  lying  over  against  it  to  give  variety  and 
awaken  enterprise.  The  rivers,  too,  though  numerous 
in  this  region,  are  generally  small,  rapid,  and  short, 
with  high,  precipitous  banks,  affording  no  facilities  for 


178 


ZU.,U-LAND. 


navigation  and  commerce.  Hence,  all  the  expanding  in- 
fluence which  navigable  rivers,  an  open  sea,  and  contigu- 
ous islands  have  given  other  nations,  has  always  been 
wanting  here. 

But  the  prevailing  temperature  so  tepid,  soft,  and 
enervating,  has  doubtless  done  more  than  the  tame  fea- 
tures of  the  country  to  weaken  or  suppress  in  this  peo- 
ple that  rugged  nature  for  which  savage  tribes  are  pro- 
verbial, and  to  indispose  their  minds  to  deep  thought 
and  arduous  enterprize.  Man  is,  by  nature,  at  best, 
but  a  lazy  animal,  and  will  doubtless  be  so  always  and 
everywhere,  but  for  the  urgent  necessity  under  which 
he  is  laid  by  a  severe  climate,  sterile  soil,  or  other  cir- 
cumstances, to  rouse  himself  to  thought  and  effort. 
Hence,  in  a  country  where  the  appetite  is  not  quick- 
ened by  pinching  cold ;  where  life  can  be  sustained  for 
a  time,  at  least,  upon  wild  herbs  and  roots ;  where 
clothes  are  often  an  incumbrance,  and  fires  are  required 
rather  for  cooking  than  for  comfort ;  and  where  the 
houses,  more  a  protection  from  wind  and  rain  than  from 
the  cold,  may  be  of  the  rudest  kind ;  what  is  there  to 
stimulate  a  people,  destitute  of  moral  principle,  to  make 
those  attainments  in  a  knowledge  of  the  arts  and  manu- 
factures on  which  food,  clothing,  and  habitations  depend 
in  colder  climates,  and  to  which  the  strength  and  refine- 
ment of  the  mind  in  those  climates  is  so  much  indebted? 

So  far  as  the  mild,  moderate,  uniform  features  of  the 
country  have  served  to  subdue  or  attemper  the  wild  na- 
ture and  fierce  passions  so  common  to  the  savage,  and 
to  attune  the  mind  and  heart  of  this  people  to  more  har- 
mony and  peace  than  they  would  have  cherished  in  other 
circumstances,  the  native  of  Natal  has  cause  for  grati- 


ZULU  CHARACTER. 


179 


tude,  and  to  say,  "  Mj  lines  have  fallen  to  me  in  plea- 
sant places,  I  have  a  goodly  heritage."  So  far,  again, 
as  he  has  abused  his  freedom  from  the  necessity  of  ac- 
quiring a  knowledge  of  the  arts  to  obtain  a  subsistence, 
and  has  thus  failed  of  the  blessings,  both  mental  and 
moral,  not  to  say  physical,  which  the  acquiring  of  such 
knowledge  imparts,  he  may  yet  be  reclaimed,  and  laid 
under  tribute,  as  it  were,  to  good,  by  being  instructed  as 
to  his  duty  and  shown  the  moral  evil,  the  actual  guilt, 
which  his  neglect  incurs.  The  heart  once  truly  con- 
vinced of  folly,  and  of  wrong,  and  made  right,  will 
make  the  whole  man  "a  new  creature,"  and  lead  to  an 
outward  observance  of  as  many  proprieties  in  dress, 
food,  and  habitations,  and  to  the  exercise  of  as  much 
intellect  and  good  taste  in  these  things,  as  the  sterner 
teachings  and  requirements  of  mere  climate  and  other 
outward  circumstances  could  ever  induce. 

But  from  the  enervating  influence  of  the  climate 
upon  the  bodily  constitution,  and  chiefly,  though  not 
wholly,  through  that  upon  the  mind,  there  can  never 
be  a  total  escape  for  those  who  dwell  here ;  though,  doubt- 
less, much  may  be  done  to  counteract  and  modify  that 
influence.  There  is,  however,  this  also  to  be  considered, 
that  in  such  a  climate,  for  a  great  part  of  the  year  so 
bland  and  beautiful,  (though  not  without  sudden  changes 
and  pestiferous  localities,)  men  may  really  enjoy  more 
life  in  a  given  space  of  time,  than  in  another  of  a  more 
severe  and  bracing  character.  If  life  is  measured  by 
the  extent  of  its  freedom  from  the  annoyances  which 
some  climates  present,  and  by  the  amount  of  positive 
enjoyment  which  may  be  derived  from  palmy  groves 
and  a  shrubbery  of  living  green,  and  from  soft  airs  suf- 


180 


ZULU-LAND. 


fused  with  the  sweet  odor  of  flowers  which  never  cease 
to  blossom  on  open  plains  and  sloping  hills,  and  banks 
of  meandering  brooks,  rather  than  by  the  numerical 
length  of  the  months  and  years  to  which  life  may  be 
drawn  out ;  it  will  be  seen  that  even  in  this  respect 
nature  has  made  her  allotments  to  man  with  no  very 
unequal  hand.  For  though  she  has  given  the  dwellers 
in  this  land  a  climate  of  a  debilitating  tendency,  pre- 
eminently so  to  those  who  abuse  it,  or  abuse  themselves 
under  its  influence,  she  has  also  freed  them  from  many 
of  the  sufferings  incident  to  an  inclement  sky,  and  set 
before  them  some  peculiar  sources  of  pleasure  while  life 
does  last. 

To  these  milder  features  of  the  country,  these  months 
of  mellow  atmosphere,  evergreen  groves,  ever-blooming 
fields,  the  natives  are,  no  doubt,  not  a  little  indebted  for 
some  of  those  more  pleasing  traits  which  are  apt  to  at- 
tract the  attention  of  the  intelligent,  unbiased  resident. 
By  one  of  this  class  they  are  as  happily  and  truthfully 
sketched  as  the  darker  side  of  the  picture  at  which  we 
have  just  glanced.  "As  a  general  thing,"  says  this 
writer,  "  the  affections  of  the  Kafir  are  gentle,  steady, 
and  enduring.  Grown  men  may  be  commonly  seen  in 
their  kraals,  fondling  and  nursing  their  children.  Pas- 
sion is  far  from  being  highly  developed  in  his  nature, 
excepting  when  it  is  called  forth  by  some  excitement 
or  phrenzy,  such  as  that  of  war.  Under  such  circum- 
stances, he  becomes  a  fierce  and  uncontrollable  man. 
He  possesses  a  very  tolerable  opinion  of  himself;  and  is 
generally  observing,  sagacious,  and  shrewd,  and  very 
slow  to  attach  faith  to  what  seems  to  him  unusual  or 
strange.    He  is  inclined  to  despise  luxury,  and  to  hold 


ZULU  CHARACTER. 


181 


that  things  which  are  simply  useful  are  beneath  the 
attention  and  regard  of  dignified  men.  The  Kafir  of 
high  station  is  almost  always  reserved  and  self-possessed, 
but  studiously  polite  towards  those  with  whom  he  has 
grounds  for  intercourse. 

"  First  and  foremost  among  the  qualities  that  come 
out  prominently  in  the  Kafir,  when  intercourse  is  held 
with  him,  is  his  lightness  of  heart  and  cheerfulness. 
However  the  case  may  be  in  the  matter  of  work,  he  is 
always  ready  to  dance  and  sing,  or  laugh  and  play. 
Let  him  have  but  the  smallest  occasion,  and  he  will 
laugh  without  ceasing.  This  frame  of  mind  is  in  a 
large  measure  due  to  the  entire  absence  of  what  civil- 
ized men  call  ^care.'  His  wants  are  very  few;  and 
those  wants  are  almost  entirely  provided  for  by  nature. 
The  mealies,  the  pumpkins,  and  the  corn  spring  from 
the  ground  in  abundance ;  the  cattle  multiply  and  fat- 
ten upon  the  wild  pasture ;  the  children  bring  them- 
selves up,  and  find  their  own  place.  An  old  and  ex- 
perienced missionary  in  Natal  remarks  that  he  has 
never  been  able  to  preach  to  his  Kafirs  from  the  text, 
*  Take  no  thought  for  the  morrow  !'  The  Kafir  never 
does  take  thought  of  the  morrow.  Futurity  has  for 
him  no  practically  recognized  existence,  and  one  conse- 
quence is  that  he  is  not  galled  by  the  spur  which  above 
all  other  things  makes  the  civilized  man  anxious,  fret- 
ful, and  ill-tempered.  It  is  generally  remarked  that 
when  Kafirs  live  long  in  the  employment  and  under  the 
influences  of  white  men,  they  generally  lose  their  cheer- 
fulness and  lightness  of  heart,  and  become  sulky  and 
morose. 

"  The  Kafir  is  by  nature  as  social  as  the  ant,  which 
16 


182 


ZULU-LAND. 


makes  its  hillock-nests  upon  his  plains.  The  men  as- 
semble day  by  day,  and  pass  their  time  in  incessant 
conversation.  To  sit  together,  and  snuff,  and  talk,  and 
then  to  dance  and  sing,  is  the  prime  enjoyment  in  Kafir 
existence.  It  must  also  be  added  that  the  talk  is, not 
uncommonly  earnest  and  concerning  grave  State  affairs. 

"  The  hospitality  vrhich  is  universally  practiced  among 
Kafirs  is  a  natural  and  necessary  result  of  their  social 
disposition.  No  traveler  in  Kafir-land  ever  used  to 
think  of  taking  food  with  him  on  a  journey,  or  of  offer- 
ing to  pay  for  what  he  received.  The  Zulu  and  Natal 
Kafirs  are  now,  however,  learning  through  their  inter- 
course with  white  men,  that  such  is  not  the  custom  of 
civilization. 

"Another  result  of  the  strong  social  instinct  of  the 
Kafir,  is  a  readiness  to  sympathize  with  those  of  his 
people  who  are  in  distress.  "Wherever  there  is  sickness, 
the  neighbors  and  friends  make  constant  visits  of  com- 
fort and  condolence  ;  and  when  bereavement  takes  place, 
an  innumerable  staff  of  assistant  mourners  immediately 
appears. 

"  The  Kafir  is  essentially  polite.  This  is  possibly 
also  a  consequence  of  the*  strength  of  his  social  instinct. 
Salutations  are  constantly  given  when  visits  are  made. 
The  host  receives  his  guest  with,  Sa  ku  bona,  '  we  see 
or  respect  you.'  The  guest  on  taking  leave  says,  Sala 
kahle,  '  farewell and  the  host  replies,  Hamha  kaJde, 
*go  well.'  In  the  statement  of  a  disputed  case  before 
a  chief,  the  plaintiff  or  complainant  is  allowed  to  speak 
as  long  as  he  pleases,  and  then  the  defendant  has  the 
same  grace  granted  to  him.  No  one  ever  thinks  of  in- 
terrupting either  of  the  parties.    The  same  also  is  the 


ZULU  CHARACTER. 


183 


case  in  familiar  conversation.  At  feasts,  all  who  are 
to  share,  group  themselves  according  to  their  proper 
positions,  as  old  men,  young  men,  boys,  matrons,  young 
women,  and  girls,  and  wait  patiently  until  the  head-man 
who  is  presiding  apportions  the  proper  share,  and  then 
render  thanks.    No  one  begins  to  eat  until  all  are  served. 

^'  The  Kafirs  have  a  very  fine  and  correct  sense  of 
justice.  They  never  murmur  at  the  infliction  of  any 
punishment  or  penalty  that  has  been  deserved.  There 
is  scarcely  any  jury  in  the  world  which  would  be  more 
ready  to  find  a  verdict  of  ^served  him  right,'  in  a  case 
of  merited  penalty,  than  one  impannelled  from  Kafir 
men. 

There  is  perhaps  no  more  astonishing  trait  of  the 
Kafir  character,  at  least  so  far  as  the  tribes  surround- 
ing Natal  are  concerned,  than  the  scrupulous  honesty 
of  almost  every  individual.  The  houses  of  white  set- 
tlers are  left  without  fastening  on  window  or  door,  and 
unwatched  from  year's  end  to  year's  end.  Articles  of 
linen  and  clothes  are  habitually  left  on  the  open  ground 
to  dry  and  bleach.  And  yet  it  is  an  occurrence  of  the 
rarest  kind  that  any  article,  however  trifling,  is  miss- 
ing." 

Now,  in  all  these  varied  characteristics  of  the  Zulu- 
Kafirs,  there  is  much  to  encourage  the  missionary,  and 
every  philanthropic  heart,  to  make  efibrts  to  enlighten 
and  save  the  race.  Even  the  worst  traits  are  only  so 
many  proofs  of  what  eminence  they  might  attain  as 
Christians,  could  they  be  converted,  and  led  to  conse- 
crate themselves,  their  days  and  energies,  to  the  service 
of  the  true  God.  Those  very  faculties  by  the  abuse  of 
which  they  have  become  famous  for  superstition  and 


184  ZULU-LAND. 

iniquity,  once  sanctified  and  used  aright,  may  yet  make 
them  as  eminent  for  good  as  they  have  been  for  evil. 
And  as  the  African  has  a  character  of  his  own,  even  in 
his  ignorance,  in  his  barbarism,  and  sin,  so,  when  he 
shall  awake,  arise,  and  stretch  out  his  hands  to  God; 
his  new  life  will  doubtless  be  found  to  differ  somewhat 
from  that  of  the  other  great  branches  of  the  tripartite 
human  stock.  Nor,  if  we  take  the  leading  traits  of  his 
present  character  to  be  any  index  of  what  shall  be 
those  of  his  new  and  Christian  character,  will  his  pe 
culiar  type  be  without  its  place,  use,  and  glory,  in  the 
great  family  of  regenerated  men — the  one  body  of  that 
Church  which  shall  be  gathered  out  of  all  nations^ 
When  Ethiopia  shall  stretch  out  her  hands  to  God," — 
the  African  race  be  converted  and  gathered  with  the 
sons  of  Shem  and  Japheth,  into  the  one  fold  of  Christ? 
"  For  as  we  have  many  members  in  one  body,  and  all 
members  have  not  the  same  ofl&ce :  so  we,  being  many, 
are  one  body  in  Christ,  and  every  one  members  one  of 
another;"  having  gifts,  however,  which  differ  accord- 
ing to  the  grace  that  is  given  to  us.  In  the  Shemitic 
branch  we  have  already  had  a  manifestation  of  the  spir- 
itual,— an  earnest,  serious,  self-relying  soul, — the  will, 
as  it  were,  of  the  human  race ;  in  the  Japhetic,  a  mani- 
festation of  the  mind,  the  intellect, — all  those  higher 
powers  which  give  us  politics,  science,  and  the  fine  arts ; 
for  a  marked  manifestation  of  the  heart, — the  suscepti- 
bilities, emotions,  affections,  we  must  look  to  the  sons 
of  Ham. 

Indeed,  the  very  nature  of  the  African  exhibits  in 
itself  a  remarkable  "union  of  recipiency  with  passion." 
Being  of  a  plastic,  ductile,  docile  disposition ;  having 


ZULU  CHARACTER. 


185 


nothing  of  the  hard,  self-asserting  nature  of  the  Goth; 
indisposed  to  stamp  his  own  individuality  upon  others; 
the  African  is  not  likely  to  become  famous,  as  the  sons 
of  Japheth  have,  for  carrying  on  conquest  and  planting 
empires  in  other  parts  of  the  globe  ;  nor  for  enlarging 
and  enriching  the  domain  of  politics  and  jurisprudence, 
science  and  the  fine  arts.  Nor  yet  are  we  to  expect 
from  the  African  an  exhibition  of  so  much  that  is  sim- 
ple, sublime,  self-reliant, — so  much  that  is  capable  of 
being  continuously  bent  to  one  object ;  of  preserving 
itself  separate,  exclusive,  and  peculiar,  for  ages, — as 
we  have  had  in  the  sons  of  Shem.  But  are  there  no 
other  possible  traits  of  character,  which,  in  the  coming 
ages  of  the  world,  in  the  future  unfoldings  of  that  plan 
of  redemption  which  the  Maker  and  Ruler  of  men  has 
devised  for  theiir  recovery  from  sin,  shall  be  deemed 
equally  important  and  glorious  ? 

There  is  much  of  deep,  happy  thought  in  the  remark 
of  Prof.  Shedd,  that — "  The  African  nature  possesses  a 
latent  capacity  fully  equal,  originally,  to  that  of  the 
Asiatic  or  the  European.  Shem  and  Japhet  sprang 
from  the  same  loins  with  Ham.  God  made  of  one  blood 
those  three  great  races  by  which  he  repopulated  the 
globe  after  the  deluge.  This  blending  of  two  such 
striking  antitheses  as  energy  and  lethargy,  the  soul  and 
the  sense ;  this  inlaying  of  a  fine  and  fiery  organization 
into  drowsy  flesh  and  blood ;  this  supporting  of  a  keen 
and  irritable  nerve  by  a  tumid  and  strong  muscular 
cord, — what  finer  combination  than  this  is  there  among 
the  varied  types  of  mankind  ?  The  objection  urged 
against  the  possibility  of  a  historical  progress  in  Africa, 
similar  to  that  in  the  other  continents,  upon  the  ground 
16  * 


186 


ZULU-LAND. 


that  the  original  germ  and  basis  was  an  inferior  one, — • 
an  objection  that  shows  itself,  if  not  theoretically,  yet 
practically,  in  the  form  of  inaction,  and  an  absence  of 
enthusiasm  and  enterprising  feeling  when  the  claims  of 
Africa  are  spoken  of, — this  objection  is  invalid. 

"  The  philosophic  and  the  philanthropic  mind  must, 
both  alike,  rise  above  the  prejudices  of  an  age,  and  look 
beyond  a  present  and  transient  degradation,  that  has 
been  the  result  of  centuries  of  ignorance  and  slavery. 
If  this  be  done,  the  philosopher  sees  no  reason  for  re- 
fusing to  apply  the  same  law  of  progress  and  develop- 
ment (provided  the  circumstances  be  favorable,  and  the 
necessary  conditions  exist)  to  the  tropical  man,  that  he 
does  to  the  man  of  the  temperate  or  the  arctic  zones ; 
and  no  reason  for  doubting  that,  in  the  course  of  time, 
and  under  the  genial  influences  of  the  Christian  reli- 
ligion — the  mother  of  us  all — human  nature  will  exhibit 
all  its  high  traits  and  qualities  in  the  black  races,  as 
well  as  in  the  white.  And  certainly  the  philanthropist, 
after  a  wide  survey  of  history;  after  tracing  back 
the  modern  Englishman  to  the  naked  Pict  and  bloody 
Saxon ;  after  comparing  the  filthy  savage  of  Wapping 
and  St.  Giles  with  the  very  same  being  and  the  same 
blood  in  the  drawing-rooms  of  Belgrave  Square — has 
every  reason  for  keeT)ing  up  his  courage  and  going 
forward  with  his  work  There  have  been  much  stranger 
transformations  in  history  than  the  rise  of  African  re- 
publics and  African  civilizations,  and  African  litera- 
tures will  be." 


LANG  "AGE  AND  LITERATURE. 


187 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

ZULU  LANGUAGE  AND  LITERATURE. 

The  striking  peculiarity  of  the  Zulu  language  is  that 
curious  cluck  or  smack,  a  sharp,  shrill  sound,  occurring 
in  some  words,  perhaps  one  in  ten  or  a  dozen,  which  is 
known  as  a  "click."  This  peculiar  sound  constitutes 
an  elementary  part  of  the  word  in  which  it  occurs,  as 
much  so  as  its  vowels  or  consonants.  Indeed  the  native 
is  not  aware  of  its  being  at  all  peculiar.  So  far  as  my 
knowledge  extends  they  are  to  he  found  in  no  language 
save  the  Zulu  and  some  of  its  cognates. 

Of  these  clicks  there  are  three  kinds ;  the  dental, 
which  is  made  by  placing  the  tip  of  the  tongue  upon  the 
front  teeth  and  then  withdrawing  it  suddenly,  so  as  to 
produce  a  sharp  kind  of  kissing  sound ;  the  palatal, 
which  is  a  kind  of  sharp  crack,  or  smack,  made  by  the 
tongue  in  the  roof  of  the  mouth ;  and  the  lateral,  which 
is  a  similar  sound  made  by  the  sides  of  the  tongue  in 
conjunction  with  the  double  teeth,  a  sound  not  unlike 
that  sometimes  made  to  urge  on  a  horse.  If  we  look 
for  the  origin  of  these  peculiar  sounds,  or  for  the  reason 
why  they  were  ever  employed  as  a  means  of  indicating 
an  idea,  we  shall  doubtless  find  it  in  that  principle 
which  is  usually  denominated  the  onomatopoetic^  or  an 


188 


ZULU-LAND. 


effort  to  suit  tlie  sound  of  the  word  tc  :lie  thing  sigui* 
fied. 

One  of  the  most  important  points  -n  which  the  Zulu 
language  differs  from  the  English  and  many  others,  is 
found  in  the  fact  that,  for  the  most  part,  the  formative 
letters  precede  the  root ;  that  is,  most  of  the  changes, 
the  inflections,  to  which  a  word  is  subject,  are  made  in 
the  beginning  of  a  word  ;  thus,  umfana,  boy  ;  ahafana, 
boys:  inkomo,  cow;  izinkomo,  cows:  izwi  or  ilizwiy  word; 
amazwij  words.  So  in  the  adjective  ;  umfana  omJculu, 
large  boy ;  ahafana  ahaJcuIu,  large  boys :  inhomo  enJculu, 
great  cow ;  ilizzvi  elihulu,  great  word.  So  in  the  pos- 
sessive pronouns ;  ahafana  hami,  my  boys  ;  izinkomo 
zami,  my  cows ;  ilizwi  laini,  my  word. 

From  these  examples  it  will  be  noticed  that  there  is 
a  peculiar  alliterative  agreement  among  related  words, 
— the  adjectives  and  pronouns  taking  a  prefix  which 
accords  with  the  preformative  or  incipient  part  of  the 
noun  with  which  they  agree,  or  to  which  they  relate ; 
thus,  ahafana  ahaJculu,  large  boys ;  ahafana  hami  aha- 
JcuIu, my  large  boys  ;  ilizwi  lahafana,  word  of  the  boys ; 
izinkomo  zahafana,  cattle  of  the  boys. 

And  then,  too,  the  personal  pronoun  takes  a  form  to 
correspond  with  the  incipient  portion  of  the  noun 
for  which  it  stands ;  thus,  {ahafana)  ha  tanda,  (boys) 
they  love  ;  (izinkomo)  zi  tanda,  (cattle)  they  love ;  (iliz- 
wi) li  tanda,  (the  word)  it  loves.  Now,  in  English,  talk- 
ing about  boys  and  cattle,  if  I  say  tJiey  love  them,  you 
might  be  in  doubt  whether  I  meant  to  say  the  cattle 
love  the  boys,  or  the  boys  the  cattle ;  but  not  so  in  the 
Zulu, — the  form  of  the  pronoun  showing  to  what  noun 
it  refers ;  thus,  ha  zi  tanda,  they  love  them,  literally. 


LANGUAGE  AND  LITEEATUBE. 


189 


they  them  love, — that  is,  the  boys  love  the  cattle  ;  zi  ha 
tanda^  they  them  love, — that  is,  the  cattle  love  the  boys. 

From  all  this  it  will  be  seen  that  the  Zulu  allows  of 
great  scope  and  variety  in  the  arrangement  of  words  in 
a  sentence,  and  at  the  same  time  gives  you  great  clear- 
ness and  precision  as  to  what  is  meant.  Thus,  in  the 
phrase — ^  the  face  of  the  animal  which  is  large,'  one 
might  be  in  doubt  as  to  what  '  is  large ;'  not  so,  how- 
ever, in  the  Zulu  phrase — uhuso  benJcomo  ohuJcuhi, 
where  the  form  of  the  adjective  ohukulu^  great,  leaves 
no  doubt  that  it  is  meant  to  describe  uhuso,  face.  So, 
too,  though  the  most  natural  and  common  order  is  to 
put  the  noun-nominative  before  the  verb,  and  the  noun- 
objective  after  the  verb,  yet  both  may  either  precede  or 
follow;  thus,  for  the  English — 'the  boys  love  the  cat- 
tle,' we  may  say  either  ahafana  izinhomo  ha  zi  tanda  ; 
or  ha  zi  tanda  ahafanda  izinhomo. 

At  first  sight,  nothing  seems  more  confused  and  com- 
plicated than  the  Zulu  language ;  yet,  when  we  come  to 
look  carefully  into  its  forms,  changes,  and  laws,  we  are 
obliged  to  admit  that  no  language  of  which  we  have  any 
knowledge,  can  lay  claim  to  more  order  and  regularity, 
flexibility,  and  precision.  Thus,  nouns  are  divided  into 
eight  classes,  according  to  the  form  of  their  incipient 
element,  and  the  manner  in  w^hich  they  make  the  plu- 
ral. Umfana,  boy,  belongs  to  the  first  class ;  ilizwi, 
to  the  second ;  inJcomo,  to  the  third ;  and  so  on, — the 
plural  of  the  first  being  made  in  aha,  of  the  second  in 
ama,  and  of  the  third  in  izin.  Each  class  and  each 
number  has  its  own  form  of  the  pronoun,  personal  or 
verbal ;  as,  u,  ha ;  li,  a ;  i,  zi:  each,  its  own  form  for 
the  relative ;  as,  o,  aha ;  eli,  a ;  e,  ezi;  each,  its  own 


190 


ZULU-LAND. 


form  for  the  possessive ;  as,  ahe,  abo ;  alo,  awo ;  ai/o, 
azo, — and  so  on.  And  then,  too,  each  class  and  num- 
ber has  its  own  preformative  letter  to  be  used  in  form- 
ing the  possessive ;  as,  w,  which  passes  over  into  its  se- 
mivowel w,  for  the  first  class,  singular;  h  for  the  plu- 
ral ;  I  and  a  for  the  second  class ;  y  and  z  for  the  third. 
Thus,  for  the  possessive  mi/  or  mine,  (the  ground  form 
for  which,  as  it  were,  in  Zulu,  is  ami,  that  is,  a,  of, 
and  mi,  me — of  me,)  we  have,  wami,  hami  ;  lami,  ami  ; 
yami,  zami,  according  to  the  class  and  number  of  the 
noun ;  as,  umfana  wami,  my  boy ;  ahafana  hami,  my 
boys.  JFor  the  possessive  his  or  her,  if  the  noun  be  of 
the  first  class,  we  have  the  ground  form,  or  basis,  ahe, 
a  of,  and  he  him, — and  then  wake,  hake,  lake,  &c.,  ac- 
cording to  the  noun  possessed ;  as  umfana  wake,  his 
boy ;  ilizwi  lake,  his  word ;  izinkomo  zake,  his  cattle. 
Eor  the  possessive  their,  referring  to  persons  or  to 
nouns  in  aha,  as  ahafana,  boys ;  ahantu,  people, — the 
basis  being  aho, — we  have  waho,  haho,  laho,  aho,  yaho, 
kc,  as,  ilizwi  laho,  their  word;  izinkomo  zaho,  their  cat- 
tle. And  for  the  possessive  their,  referring  to  nouns  in 
izin,  as  izinkomo,  we  have,  in  like  manner,  wazo,  hazo, 
lazo,  azo,  yazo,  &c.,  as,  ilizwi  lazo,  their  voice  ;  isihaya 
sazo,  their  fold ;  izimpondo  zazo,  their  horns. 

Now,  when  you  come  to  carry  this  through  all  the 
eight  classes  of  nouns,  singular  and  plural,  you  will 
find  that  there  is  no  small  number  of  forms  for  each 
class  and  kind  of  the  pronoun.  But  for  all  this,  com- 
plicated, exact,  and  numerous  as  these  forms  are,  the 
native  never  makes  a  mistake,  or  talks,  as  we  say,  un- 
grammatically.   Even  the  children  seem  to  find  it  as 


LANGUAGE  AND  LITERATURE. 


191 


natural  and  easy  to  speak  properly  in  respect  to  gram- 
mar as  they  do  to  eat  and  sleep. 

The  Zulu  language  pays  a  high  regard  to  euphony. 
No  doubt  this  is  owing  in  part  to  the  fact  that^  it  has  ever, 
till  recently,  been  addressed  solely  to  the  ear.  Some 
of  its  ideas  of  euphony  are  peculiar  to  itself;  others 
are  founded  on  general  laws,  such  as  prevail  more  or 
less  in  all  languages.  Hence,  some  of  the  forms  and 
changes  on  which  it  insists  for  euphonic  purposes,  are 
external,  accidental,  and  to  be  attributed  to  the  taste, 
fashion,  or  caprice  of  the  people;  while  others  are  in- 
ternal and  necessary,  the  reasons  for  which  are  to  be 
found  in  the  very  structure  of  the  language,  or  in  the 
physiological  character  of  articulate  sounds.  Perhaps 
no  language  can  lay  a  better  claim  than  the  Zulu  to  an 
exemption  from  two  great  faults, — on  the  one  hand, 
that  superabundance  of  vowels  and  liquids  which  pro- 
duces excessive  softness ;  and  on  the  other,  that  super- 
abundance of  consonants  which  produces  excessive 
harshness.  The  happy  mean  which  it  has  observed  in 
its  intermixture  of  mute  consonants  with  vocalic  and 
liquid  sounds  makes  it  both  pleasing  to  the  ear  and  easy 
to  speak. 

One  of  the  greatest  defects  of  the  language,  as  might 
be  supposed,  is  the  paucity  of  words,  especially  those 
which  are  most  needed  for  the  expression  of  moral  and 
religious  thoughts.  The  people  having  few  ideas  on 
subjects  of  this  kind,  their  words  are  few  also.  Yet, 
even  here,  the  case  is  not  so  difficult  as  might  be  pre- 
sumed. In  some  instances  we  are  able  to  convert  a 
word  from  a  secular  to  a  sacred  use.  And  then  the 
language  is  yet  young,  as  it  were,  uncultivated,  waiting 


192 


ZULU-LAND. 


to  be  developed  and  fashioned  for  the  largest  and  no- 
blest ends.  One  root  will  often  give  you  a  large  stem, 
with  a  good  number  of  branches,  and  no  small  amount 
of  fruit.  Thus,  from  the  verb  bona,  see,  we  have  ho- 
nisa,  cause  to  see,  show  ;  bonisisa,  show  clearlj ;  bonela, 
see  for ;  bonelela,  look  and  learn,  imitate ;  bonana, 
see  each  other;  bonelana,  see  for  each  other;  boni- 
sana,  cause  each  other  to  see,  show  each  other ; 
bonahala^  appear,  be  visible;  bonakalisa^  make  visi- 
ble; umboni,  a  seer;  umboneli,  a  spectator;  umbo- 
nelo,  a  spectacle;  umbonisi,  an  overseer;  umbo7iiso, 
a  show ;  isibono,  a  sight,  curiosity ;  isiboniso,  a  vision ; 
isibonakaloj  an  appearance ;  isibonaJcaliso,  a  revelation, 
— and  all  this  without  going  into  the  passive  voice  ;  as, 
bonwa,  be  seen;  boniswa,  cause  to  be  seen  ;  bo7iisiswa, 
cause  to  be  clearly  seen,  et  ccetera.  I  doubt  if  the  Ger- 
man, Greek,  or  any  other  language  can  exceed  the  Zulu 
in  the  scope  and  liberty  which  it  gives  for  the  formation 
of  derivative  words. 

The  liberty  which  it  gives  for  combining  two  or  more 
words,  so  as  to  form  a  significant  compound,  is  another 
point  worth  mentioning.  In  this  way  we  get  impuma- 
langa,  east,  from  two  words — puma^  come  out,  and 
Hang  a,  the  sun ;  inchonalanga^  west, — from  chona,  sink, 
and  ilanga,  sun.  So,  inhlilifa,  an  heir,  comes  from 
combining  two  words  which  signify,  'Ho  eat  the  estate 
of  the  deceased;"  Yfhile  inlilulajihlebe,  a  bat,  signifies 
"a  long-eared  animal ;"  and  ihlolenkosikazi,  the  jasmine, 
"  queen's  eye." 

Many  of  the  names  which  the  natives  give  to  persons, 
places,  rivers,  mountains,  are  also  compound  terms ; 
and,  whether  simple  or  compound,  the  most  of  them  are 


LANGUAGE  AND  LITERATURE. 


193 


significant  Thus,  Amanzimtoti,  the  name  of  a  stream, 
signifies  "sweet  water;"  InhlanguJcazi,  the  name  of  a 
tall  sugar-loaf  mountain,  signifies  "a  tall  reed."  I  once 
had  a  great  stout  boy  to  work  for  me,  whose  name  sig- 
nified "man  of  the  mountain;"  and  another,  of  a  cun- 
ning, crabbed  disposition,  who  was  called  by  a  name 
signifying  "strength  of  the  wolf."  One  is  called  sj)ear, 
another  hatchet,  another  money,  another  whiskers.  The 
names  which  the  natives  give  the  white  people  are  often 
appropriate  and  amusing.  Thus,  one  who  wears  spec- 
tacles is  called  glasses  ;  one  who  keeps  a  good  look-out 
for  those  in  his  employ,  eyes ;  one  who  moves  about 
briskly,  with  a  staccato  step,  crackle-gait. 

The  native  has  no  family,  or  surname  ;  though  he  is 
sometimes  designated  as  the  son  of  so-and-so.  A  man 
also  not  unfrequently  designates  his  wife,  that  is,  one 
of  his  wives,  as  the  daughter  of  so-and-so, — a  practice 
which  had  its  origin,  doubtless,  in  polygamy ;  since  the 
term  my  wife,  or  Mrs.  so-and-so,  would  often  be  ambi- 
guous where  a  man  has  half  a  dozen  wives. 

But  I  must  pass  to  the  literature  of  this  people,  and 
give  a  few  samples  of  it, — if,  indeed,  that  which  is  pro- 
duced by  a  people  ignorant  of  letters  can  be  called 
literary. 

The  most  of  their  songs  consist  of  only  a  few  words, 
which  they  repeat  ov^r  and  over,  with  su<;h  musical  va- 
riation as  their  national  taste  and  habit,  or  their  indi- 
vidual fancy  may  dictate.  Thus,  a  company  of  travel- 
ers may  go  singing  what  amounts  to  nothing  more  than 
so-so,  so-so;  while  the  substance  of  another  song  is 
summed  up  in  the  two  words — he  saith,  he  saith,  he 
saith, — which,  like  ''so-so,  so-so,''  mean,  I  suppose, 
17 


194 


ZULU -LAND. 


about  as  much  as  our  do-re-mi,  or  lullahy,  lullaby.  Their 
songs  often  have  a  special  fitness  for  the  occasion  ;  as, 
when  a  man,  in  search  for  a  lost  cow,  goes  humming — 

Ma  i  ze  inkomo  yetu,  si  ya  yi  biza ; 

Si  ti,  ma  i  ze,  ma  i  zeke  ; 

Ma  i  ze  kumi,  ma  i  zeke  ; 

Ma  i  ze  inkomo  yetu,  si  ya  yi  biza. 

That  is— 

Our  cow  let  her  come,  we  are  calling  her ; 

We  say,  let  her  come,  let  her  come,  so  let  her  come  ; 

Let  her  come  to  me,  then  let  her  come; 

Our  cow  let  her  come,  we  are  calling  her. 

Several  natives  spent  a  rainy  day,  hard  at  work,  dig- 
ging out  and  killing  three  or  four  porcupines,  which  had 
made  them  trouble  in  their  gardens  ;  and  the  next  morn- 
ing one  of  them  passed  my  door,  singing  the  following 
song,  which  I  was  told,  he  indited  for  the  occasion ; — 
though  the  language  would  seem  to  indicate  that  he  was 
thinking  quite  as  much  of  the  Zulu  people  as  of  porcu- 
pines and  potatoes : — 

Truly,  oh  truly,  they'll  perish  anon, 
The  land  of  the  Zulu  so  slyly  they  leave ; 
All  the  people  they  come,  they  come. 
The  land  of  the  Zulu  so  slyly  they  leave. 
Truly,  oh  truly  !  <fec. 

The  young  men  sometimes  pass  an  evening  in  their 
hut,  playing  the  gumhu — a  musical  instrument  made  by 
attaching  a  calabash  to  the  middle  of  a  bow  which  keeps 
a  cord  in  tension  between  its  two  ends, — ^the  player  and 
his  companions  singing  some  kind  of  a  song,  called  a  hut 
song,  or  an  evening  song ;  of  which  the  following,  with 


LANGUAGE  AND  LITERATURE. 


195 


regard  t:  an  expected  attack  to  be  made  upon  them,  is 
a  specimen — 

Let  peaceful  tribes  be  undisturbed  ; 
We  hear  it  said,  there  are  foes  at  hand ; 
Little  do  they  know  of  Kula  kwa  Zulu ; — ■ 
That  the  soldiers  of  Sanku  are  there, 
Now  waiting  for  orders  all  rivers  to  cross. 
Come,  show  thyself,  thou  tiger  of  kings  ! 
Let  peaceful  tribes,  &c. 

The  following  will  serve  as  a  specimen  of  their  hunt- 
ing songs.  The  last  two  lines  have  respect  to  a  law 
among  them,  that  the  animal  belongs  to  the  party  who 
gives  it  the  first  wound.  Hence,  if  a  man  would  get  any 
thing,  he  must  aim  at  a  fresh  beast,  and  not  stop  to  kill 
one  that  is  already  half  dead. 

Hurrah !  hurrah  !  hurrah  ! 
A  whirlwind  !  the  buffalo  ! 
Some  leave  and  go  home; 
Some  pursue  and  obtain  ; 
We  shoot  the  rising, 
But  leave  the  wounded. 
Hurrah  !  hurrah  !  &c. 

Having  finished  a  hunt,  the  parties  assemble  with  the 
game,  which  they  lay  together  in  a  pile,  and  sing  some 
joyous,  parting  song,  of  which  the  following  is  a  sam- 
ple— 

Come,  let  me  go,Umchengele  ; 

I  must  look  for  the  cows  of  my  father. 

Where  has  the  son  of  Masina  gone  ? 

He  went  with  Zingane  son  of  Yabane; 

Never,  oh  never,  never,  never ! 

That  hunt  was  a  good  one,  give  us  a  fill. 

The  following  is  a  compound  of  praise  and  prayer 
which  is  said  to  be  offered  by  the  kings  to  the  shades  of 
their  ancestors : — 


196 


ZULU-LAND. 


Then  hear,  0  king,  thou  tallest  of  the  tall ; 
Son  of  Kumede  Mandondo,  splendid  and  fair ! 
While  I  linger  I  would  implore  the  first-born : 
0  great  progenitor  of  Jama !  let  us  twist  us  a  rope, 
And  ascend  up  to  heaven  where  ghosts  never  come, 
But  break  their  tiny  toes  if  to  mount  they  try. 

In  addition  to  these  common,  domestic,  hunting,  and 
religious  songs,  if  the  last  can  be  called  religious, 
there  is  another  class  which  the  people  sing  in  honor  of 
their  kings.  As  thej  consist  chiefly  in  attempts  to  eu- 
logize the  monarch  ;  rehearsing  and  extolling  what  they 
profess  to  regard  as  his  virtues, — his  strength,  courage, 
and  valor,  and  his  many  wonderful  deeds,  they  may  be 
called  heroic  songs,  or  a  kind  of  eulogistic  rhapsody. 
And  since  the  object  of  the  panegyrist  is  to  call  the 
king  by  such  names  and  recount  such  deeds  as  are  most 
pleasing  to  his  majesty,  and  such  as  will  set  him  forth 
in  the  most  desirable  light  in  the  eyes  of  the  people, 
the  fearful  titles,  the  savage  character  which  are 
given  him  by  the  royal  eulogist,  are  a  sad  index  to  the 
moral  condition  of  poet,  prince  and  people.  You  will 
find,  however,  here  and  there,  a  good  turn  of  thought,  a 
bold  figure,  and  some  of  the  marks  of  a  poetic  genius. 

The  isibongo,  royal  rhapsody,  or  song,  in  honor  of  the 
king,  whether  Chaka,  Dingan,  or  some  other  princely 
personage,  generally  opens  with  something  like  the  fol- 
lowing : — 

Bayeti,  'mngani  !  wena  'yinhosi  !  tcena  umnyama  ! 
Wena  wa  hula,  he  lihele;  tvena  u  nga  ngentdba. 

That  is— 

Hail,  my  lord !  thou  art  king !  thou  art  black ! 

Thou  hast  outgrown  others ;  thou  art  like  a  mountain. 


LANGUAGE  AND  LITERATURE. 


197 


The  closing  lines  of  the  following  song  show  how 
gracefully  the  Zulu  poet  can  retire  from  His  Majesty's 
presence,  when  he  has  said  what  he  has  to  say  in  his 
praise.  The  piece  seems  to  be  but  a  relic  of  what  was 
sung  in  old  time  to  one  of  the  first  of  the  kings  of  the 
Zulu  race.  The  old  Zulu  warrior  who  gave  it  to  me  de- 
scribed it  as  the  fragment  of  a  song 

IN  HONOR  OF  SENZANGAKONA. 
Thou  dark  grave  of  Nobamba ! 

Ever  noosing  the  ankles  of  foes  at  home  and  abroad; 

Black  spotted  beast  of  Zwa  Ngendaba; 

Thou  deadly  destroyer  of  Makanda  and  Unselej 

Voracious  consumer  of  the  root  and  the  branch  ; 

Descendant  of  Menzi !  plundering  till  plunder  is  gone ; 

Thou  fount  of  Nobamba !  drinking  of  which, 

I  dropped  down  dead,  and  sunk  into  the  shade  of  Punga. 

Nobamba  was  one  of  the  first  of  the  great  royal 
towns  of  the  Zulu  race.  The  term  "  Menzi,"  (Umenzi,) 
as  now  used,  signifies  maker^  and  is  often  employed  by 
us  to  designate  God  as  the  Maker  of  all  things.  Per- 
haps it  was  designed  to  convey  some  idea  of  that  kind 
when  the  poem  was  composed. 

SONG  IN  HONOR  OP  CHAKA. 

Thou  striker  of  poison  into  every  conspirator, 
As  well  those  abroad  as  those  who're  at  home; 
Thou  art  green  as  the  gall  of  the  goat; 
Butterfly  of  Punga,  tinted  with  circling  spots, 
As  if  made  by  the  twilight  from  the  shadows  of  mountains, 
In  the  dusk  of  the  evening,  when  the  wizards  are  abroad ; 
Lynx-eyed  descendant  of  Punga  and  Makeba, 
With  looking  at  whom  I  am  ever  entranced. 
What  beautiful  parts  !  a  calf  of  the  cow ! 
The  kicking  of  this  cow  confuses  my  brain, 
Kicking  the  milker  and  accepting  the  holder. 
17  * 


198 


ZULU-LAND. 


In  the  foregoing  song  the  words  "  calf  of  the  cow" 


as  we  should  say.    The  last  line,  "  Kicking  the  milker 


horns,  while  another  milks ;  and  the  design  of  the 
figure  seems  to  be  to  represent,  at  once,  the  power,  the 
caprice,  and  the  sovereignty  of  the  king,  putting  one  to 
death,  and  promoting  another  to  honor,  without  any 
apparent  reason. 


SONG  IN  HONOE  OF  DINGAN. 

Thou  needy  offspring  of  Umpikazi,  (the  hyena,) 
Eyer  of  the  cattle  of  men ; 
Bird  of  Maube,  fleet  as  a  bullet  ; 
Sleek,  erect,  of  beautiful  parts ; 
Thy  cattle  like  the  comb  of  the  bees, 
A  herd  too  large,  too  huddled,  to  move. 
Devourer  of  Umzilikazi  of  Machobana ; 
Devourer  of  'Swazi,  son  of  Sobuzaj 
Breaker  of  the  gates  of  Machobana  j 
Devourer  of  Gundane  of  Machobana  j 
A  monster  in  size,  of  mighty  power; 
Devourer  of  Ungwati  of  an  ancient  race  j 
'  Devourer  of  the  kingly  Nomafu ; 
Like  heaven  above,  raining  and  shining. 

SONG  IN  HONOR  OF  UMPANDE. 

Thou  brother  of  the  Chakas,  considerate  forder ! 

A  swallow  which  fled  in  the  sky ; 

A  swallow  with  a  whiskered  breast; 

Whose  cattle  cross  over  in  so  huddled  a  crowd, 

They  stumble  for  room  when  they  run. 

Thou  false  adorer  of  the  valor  of  another; 

That  valor  thou  tookest  at  the  battle  of  Makonko. 

Of  the  stock  of  Ndabazita,  ram-rod  of  brass, 

Survivor  alone  of  all  other  rods ; 


LANGUAGE  AND  LITERATURE. 


199 


others  they  broke,  and  left  this  in  the  soot, 

Thinking  to  burn  it  some  rainy  cold  day. 

Flesh  of  the  bullock  of  Inkakavini ! 

Always  delicious,  if  only  'tis  roasted, 

'Twill  always  be  tasteless,  if  boiled. 

The  woman  from  Mankebe's  delighted ; 

She  has  seen  the  leopards  of  Jama, 

Fighting  together  between  the  Makonko. 

He  passed  between  the  Intuma  and  Ihliza, 

The  celestial  who  thundered  between  the  Makonko. 

I  praise  thee,  0  king !  son  of  Jokwane,  the  son  of  Undaba, 

The  merciless  opponent  of  every  conspiracy. 

Thou  art  an  elephant,  an  elephant,  an  elephant, 

All  glory  to  thee,  thou  Monarch  who  art  black. 

Some  of  the  more  important  historical  incidents  re 
ferred  to  in  this  song  have  been  noticed  in  former  chap 
ters.  When  Dingan  killed  Chaka  and  others,  he  waa 
persuaded  to  leave  XJmpande  alive — "  Survivor  alone 
of  all  other  rods."  When  the  natives  wish  to  season 
a  walking-stick  or  other  bit  of  wood,  or  preserve  it  for 
future  use,  they  often  stick  it  up  in  the  roof  of  the 
house,  directly  over  the  fire-place.  With  this  fact  in 
mind,  you  will  see  the  pertinency  of  the  lines — 

"  others  they  broke,  but  left  this  in  the  soot. 
Thinking  to  burn  it  some  rainy  cold  day." 

The  phrase,  "  considerate  forder,"  in  the  first  line,  re- 
fers to  Umpande's  taking  advantage  of  the  time  to  flee 
while  Dingan' s  army  was  off  on  a  plundering  expedi- 
tion in  another  direction.  "  The  woman  from  Man- 
kebe"  was  Umpande's  wife,  who  is  represented  as  pre- 
sent and  "delighted"  at  the  battle  between  her  hus- 
band and  Dingan  at  the  Makonko,  of  which  I  have 
spoken  in  connection  with  the  Boers. 

These  brief  and  imperfect  samples  of  Zulu  song  will 


200 


ZULU-LAND. 


serve  to  give  at  once  some  notion  of  their  genius  and 
of  their  degradation.  We  see  here  what  they  count 
noble  and  valorous.  In  their  low  views  of  excellence 
we  read  the  story  of  their  fallen  and  savage  condition, 
their  need  of  elevation,  of  light,  and  all  that  Chris- 
tianity confers  on  ruin  3d  man. 


THE  AMERICAN  MISSION. 


201 


CHAPTER  XV. 

HISTORY   OP   THE  AMERICAN  ZULU    MISSION  FROM  1834 
TO  1843, — THE  FIRST  NINE  YEARS  OF  ITS  EXISTENCE. 

"  Ye  Christian  heralds  !  go,  proclaim 
Salvation  through  Immanuel's  name  j 
To  distant  climes  the  tidings  bear, 
And  plant  the  rose  of  Sharon  there." 

The  Rev.  Dr.  Philip,  of  Cape  Town,  superintendent 
of  the  London  Society's  Missions  in  South  Africa,  seems 
to  have  been  the  first  to  call  the  attention  of  Christians 
in  America  to  this  part  of  the  world  as  a  field  for  mis- 
sionary operations.  In  1834,  the  American  Board  of 
Commissioners  for  Foreign  Missions  sent  out  six  men, 
three  of  whom  were  designated  to  the  maritime  region, 
among  the  Amazulu,  and  three  to  an  inland  district, 
among  Umzilikazi's  people.  On  the  3d  of  December 
this  party,  with  their  wives,  set  sail  from  Boston,  in  the 
ship  Burlington,  and  reached  Cape  Town  on  the  5th  of 
February,  1835.  In  about  aix  weeks,  the  Rev.  Messrs. 
Lindley,  and  Venable,  and  Dr.  Wilson  started  in  their 
ox-wagons  for  the  interior ;  and  at  the  end  of  about 
seven  more  weeks,  having  traveled  six  hundred  miles, 
they  reached  Griqua  Town.  Here  they  remained  five 
months  with  English  missionaries,  afibrding  their  weary 


202 


ZULU-LAND. 


cattle  a  chance  to  rest,  and  giving  themselves  to  the 
study  of  the  language,  preparatory  to  a  farther  advance 
and  future  labors  among  the  people  to  whom  they  had 
been  sent. 

The  overland  route  to  the  Zulu  field  being  counted 
unsafe,  in  consequence  of  a  Kafir  war  which  had  just 
now  commenced,  the  other  missionaries — Kev.  Messrs. 
Aldin  Grout,  and  Champion,  and  Dr.  Adams — remained 
at  the  Cape,  waiting  the  termination  of  hostilities  or  an 
opportunity  to  reach  Natal  by  sea.  In  July  they  left 
the  Cape  for  Algoa  Bay,  where  they  remained  till  the 
7th  of  December,  then  took  ship,  and  in  two  weeks, 
Dec.  21st,  1835,  they  cast  anchor  in  Port  Natal.  Land- 
ing, the  next  day,  they  found  a  few  white  people,  chiefly 
hunters  and  traders,  of  whom  they  purchased  a  span 
of  oxen  for  the  wagons  which  they  had  brought  with 
them  from  the  old  colony,  and  started  at  once  on  a  trip 
of  a  hundred  and  fifty  or  sixty  miles,  to  visit  the  Zulu 
chieftain,  Dingan,  at  his  residence  in  Zulu-land,  and 
get  permission  to  settle  in  his  country  and  to  labor  as 
missionaries  among  his  people.  Two  weeks  brought 
them  to  the  capital.  Here  they  were  received  and 
treated  with  kindness ;  though  the  king  seems  to  have 
been  slow,  if  not  reluctant,  to  comply  with  their  wishes 
in  respect  to  the  people  just  about  him.  He  therefore 
proposed  that  they  take  up  their  abode  and  open  their 
school  in  the  vicinity  of  the  port;  being  allowed,  how- 
ever, to  spend  some  time  with  him,  or  among  the  people 
in  his  more  immediate  neighborhood,  till  he  should  know 
more  of  the  character  of  their  labors.  They  remained 
six  days  at  the  capital,  and  were  supplied,  meantime, 
with  two  cows  and  a  goat  to  slaughter,  together  with 


THE  AMERICAN  MISSION. 


203 


other  kinds  of  food,  such  as  the  king  and  his  country 
could  afford. 

Mr.  Champion  was  now  left  in  the  country  to  make 
arrangements ;  while  the  other  two,  Grout  and  Adams, 
returned  to  Algoa  Bay,  for  their  families  and  effects. 
As  they  wished  to  return  to  Natal  with  a  good  supply 
of  oxen  and  wagons,  they  made  preparations  to  come 
back  by  an  overland  route.  Mrs.  Grout,  however,  was 
called  away  by  death,  before  they  were  ready  to  start. 
She  died  of  consumption,  at  Bethelsdorp,  February 
24th,  1836,  "  full  of  faith,  and  rejoicing  that  she  had 
been  counted  worthy  to  leave  her  country  and  home  on 
such  an  errand."  The  rest  of  the  company  soon  set 
off,  in  their  ox-wagons,  for  Natal ;  and  after  about  two 
months'  traveling,  in  a  new  land,  without  roads,  and 
through  many  rivers  all  without  a  bridge,  on  the  21st 
of  May  they  reached  the  Umlazi  River,  where  Mr. 
Champion  had  prepared  a  house  for  their  reception. 
During  the  absence  of  his  brethren,  Mr.  Champion  ex- 
plored the  country  as  far  south-west  as  the  Ilovu,  and 
selected  a  site  for  their  first  station,  on  the  Umlazi, 
eight  miles  west  of  the  Bay.  Here  he  set  about  building 
a  temporary  house  on  the  22d  of  February.  On  the 
7th  of  March  he  opened  a  school  for  the  natives ;  using 
the  shade  of  a  large  tree  for  a  school-room,  and  the 
earth — the  letters  written  in  the  sand — for  an  a-b-c  book. 
The  first  day  he  had  about  a  dozen  scholars,  some  of 
them  nurses  with  infants  tied,  as  usual,  to  their  backs. 
On  the  21st  of  March  he  began,  with  about  thirty  people, 
to  clear  a  spot  for  the  mission  house  at  that  place.  Thus 
commenced  the  first  mission  station  among  the  Zulu 
Kafirs  in  the  region  of  Natal. 


204 


ZULU-LAND. 


The  other  members  of  the  mission  having  returned 
from  Algoa  Bay,  the  brethren  now  made  a  second  visit 
to  the  king,  when  he  gave  them  permission  to  commence 
a  station  in  ^  Zulu-land.  The  site  chosen  was  eight  or 
ten  miles  north  of  the  river  Tugela,  and  about  the  same 
distance  from  the  sea,  on  a  stream  called — as  two  others 
in  Natal  are  called — the  Umsunduzi.  The  name  Gfinani, 
which  was  given  to  the  station,  is  composed  of  three 
Zulu  words,  in  which  it  was  designed  to  embody  the 
promise  of  our  Saviour  :  "Lo  I  am  with  you."  It  was 
now  arranged  that  this  station  should  be  occupied  by 
Mr.  Champion,  and  that  on  the  Umlazi  by  Dr.  Adams ; 
the  labors  of  Mr.  Grout  to  be  divided  between  the 
two. 

The  first  work  at  Ginani  was  to  put  up  a  house,  the 
missionaries  dwelling  meantime  in  tents.  Their  house, 
built  of  stones  and  mud,  covered  with  grass,  having 
neither  a  board  nor  a  straight  piece  of  timber  in  it ;  the 
floor  being  made  of  earth  which  was  taken  from  an  ant- 
hill ;  mats  and  reeds  serving  for  doors  and  windows ; 
began  to  be  occupied  about  the  middle  of  November. 
And  though  it  leaked  badly,  yet,  as  a  refuge  from 
the  scorching  sun,  it  was  considered  a  palace  of  com- 
fort. 

Mr.  Champion  had  now  made  such  proficiency  in  the 
language  as  to  be  able  to  tell  the  people  about  God  in 
their  own  tongue.  His  audience  on  the  Sabbath  num- 
bered about  two  hundred.  The  king  also  sent  him  ten 
or  a  dozen  pupils,  boys  and  girls,  to  be  taught,  which, 
with  others,  at  the  end  of  eight  or  nine  months,  made 
a  school  of  ten  boys  and  twenty  girls.  The  day 
school  under  Dr.  Adams'  instruction  at  Umlazi  now 


THE  AMERICAN  MISSION. 


205 


numbered  fifty ;  and  his  Sabbath  audience  amounted  to 
some  five  or  six  hundred,  most  of  whom  were  also  ga- 
thered into  a  Sabbath-school.  Meantime  the  printing- 
press  was  set  up  at  Umlazi,  and  a  few  elementary  books 
printed  in  the  native  language  for  the  schools. 

The  mission  to  the  interior  having  been  broken  up  by 
an  attack  of  the  Boers  upon  the  natives,  in  January, 
1837,  the  missionaries  left  that  field  to  join  their  bre- 
thren in  Natal.  Their  journey  hither  was  long  and 
tedious.  Coming  as  they  did  by  way  of  Graham' s- 
Town,  which  would  make  a  distance  of  twelve  or  fifteen 
hundred  miles,  and  traveling  in  the  usual  slow-paced 
ox-wagon,  they  were  about  six  months  on  the  way. 
Their  arrival  at  Natal,  however,  was  a  speedy  response 
to  the  request  which  their  brethren  of  the  mission  had 
just  made  to  the  Board,  in  Boston,  for  a  reinforcement. 
Mr.  Lindley  was  now  stationed  at  Ifumi,  on  the  Ilovu, 
about  thirty  miles  south-west  from  the  Bay ;  and  Messrs. 
Venable  and  Wilson,  at  Hlangezwa,  on  the  Umhlatusi, 
near  Mount  Umagakazi,  in  Zulu-land ;  a  hundred  and 
ten  or  fifteen  miles  to  the  north-east  of  the  Bay,  thirty 
or  thirty-five  miles  beyond  Ginani.  Scarcely,  however, 
had  they  taken  up  their  abode  at  these  new  stations, 
when  their  labors  were  again  interrupted,  and  their 
lives  put  in  jeopardy  by  the  scourge  from  which  they 
had  suffered  in  the  interior. 

The  Dutch  farmers,  after  their  attack  upon  Umzili- 
kazi,  came  also  to  Natal ;  and  very  soon,  early  in  1838, 
(as  narrated  in  Chapter  YIII.,)  they  became  involved  in 
difiiculty  with  Dingan.  Having  slain  the  Dutch  em- 
bassy, the  king  sent  forthwith  for  Mr.  Venable  to  come 
at  once  with  his  interpreter  and  see  him.  Complying 
18 


206 


ZULU-LAND. 


with  the  request,  and  arriving  at  the  gate  of  the  king's 
capital,  Umkungunhlovu,  Mr.  Yenable  saw  the  Boers' 
luggage,  but  saw  nothing  of  the  men.  One  of  the  boys 
told  him  they  had  gone  out  for  a  hunt,  but  every  thing 
looked  suspicious.  He  soon  met  the  king,  who  told  him 
of  the  massacre  there  that  morning,  adding  that  the 
missionaries  had  nothing  to  fear,  as  he  considered  them 
his  friends.  Mr.  Yenable  asked  permission  to  go  and 
see  Mr.  Owen,  of  the  Church  Missionary  Society,  who 
was  then  living  near  the  capital,  to  which  request  the 
king  consented.  Mr.  Owen  was  found  in  great  distress, 
having  heard  of  the  fate  of  the  Boers,  and  also  seen 
something  of  it  with  his  glass,  his  own  house  being  in 
sight  of  the  king's  kraal.  The  missionaries  decided  to 
leave  that  part  of  the  district  without  delay,  fully  per- 
suaded that  there  were  other  evils  at  hand.  With  ap- 
parent reluctance  the  king  allowed  them  to  depart. 
But  as  Mr.  Owen's  wagon  was  not  at  home,  Messrs. 
Venable  and  Wilson  delayed  a  little  for  him. 

Meantime,  Mr.  Venable  set  off  on  foot  to  go  and  see 
his  brother  missionary.  Champion,  and  consult  with  him. 
He  reached  Ginani  in  the  evening,  but  found  no  one  at 
home.  The  house  was  closed  and  deserted.  Weary 
with  his  walk  of  thirty-five  miles,  in  addition  to  his 
previous  trip  to  the  capital  and  back,  without  food,  and 
with  no  bed  save  the  floor  of  the  verandah,  he  laid  him- 
self down  to  rest  till  morning,  and  then  returned  to 
Hlangezwa.  The  missionaries  were  not  long  in  complet- 
ing arrangements  to  leave  this  station  and  go  to  Natal. 

As  soon  as  news  of  the  slaughter  at  Dingan's  kraal 
had  reached  Dr.  Adams  on  the  Umlazi,  well  knowing 
that  the  circumstances  of  his  brethren  in  Zulu-land 


THE  AMERICAN  MISSION. 


207 


were  anything  but  desirable,  he  lost  no  time  in  attempt- 
ing to  aid  their  escape.  The  swollen  state  of  the  Tu- 
gela  making  it  impossible  for  them  to  ford  the  river, 
Dr.  Adams  despatched  a  Hottentot  and  others  with  a 
Wagon  and  boat,  giving  them  instructions  to  leave  the 
wagon  on  the  Natal  side  of  that  stream,  and,  under 
cover  of  the  night,  cross  over  in  the  boat,  go  to  Ginani, 
and  urge  them  to  leave  without  delay.  The  Hottentot 
arrived,  delivered  his  message,  and  offered  to  drive  their 
wagon  for  them,  if  they  would  start  for  the  Tugela  at 
once  ;  otherwise,  he  must  go  back  without  them.  Pained 
at  the  thought  of  leaving  till  those  beyond  should  ar- 
rive, yet  seeing  no  other  way,  they  threw  a  few  things 
into  the  wagon,  and  set  off  for  the  Tugela.  Reaching 
its  bank,  they  found  that  the  party  left  there  in  charge 
of  the  boat  had  taken  fright,  crossed  over  to  the  Natal 
side  of  the  river,  and  gone  off  with  the  wagon.  The 
old  Hottentot,  however,  too  well  aware  of  the  danger 
of  delay  in  their  present  circumstances,  and  preferring 
to  risk  his  life  on  the  bosom  of  the  broad  river,  haunted 
as  it  was  with  alligators,  rather  than  be  exposed  to  the 
peltings  of  the  gathering  storm,  plunged  in,  swam  over, 
and  got  the  boat.  And  thus,  little  by  little,  the  mis- 
sionary, his  family,  their  effects,  wagon,  and  all,  were 
brought  over,  and  eventually  enabled  to  reach  the  Bay 
in  safety.  In  like  manner,  those  who  were  farther 
away — ^Yenable  and  Wilson — having  complied  with  the 
monarch  Dingan's  request  to  give  him  the  greater  part 
of  their  goods,  made  their  preparations  quickly,  in- 
spanned  their  oxen,  and,  in  due  time,  found  themselves 
in  the  company  of  their  brethren  at  Umlazi  and  the 
Bay. 


208 


ZULU-LAND. 


Bearing  in  mind  what  has  been  said  in  former  pages 
of  the  state  of  Natal  at  this  time,  it  will  easily  be  un- 
derstood why  the  missionaries  deemed  it  expedient  to 
withdraw  from  the  field  for  a  time ;  until  the  fearful 
tempest,  so  near  and  so  certain,  should  be  past.  Leav- 
ing Mr.  Lindley  to  watch  the  progress  of  events  and 
report  results,  the  rest  took  ship  and  sailed  on  the  30th 
of  March,  for  Port  Elizabeth. 

The  Zulus  were  not  long  in  getting  ready  to  avenge 
the  attacks  which  had  been  made  upon  them  by  resi- 
dents in  the  neighborhood  of  the  Port.  Yet  no  evil  be- 
fell Mr.  Lindley.  Seeing  the  danger  nigh  at  hand,  he 
took  refuge  on  board  the  "  Comet,"  a  vessel  then  lying 
at  anchor  in  the  Bay.  After  the  country  had  been 
swept,  as  none  but  an  infuriated  Zulu  army  can  sweep, 
he  took  passage  with  Mr.  Owen,  on  the  11th  of  May ; 
and,  after  a  trip  to  Delagoa  Bay,  went  to  Port  Eliza- 
beth, where  he  joined  his  family  and  associates  on  the 
22d  of  June,  1838. 

Several  of  the  mission  now  returned  to  America. 
Mr.  Aldin  Grout  had  already  gone  temporarily,  having 
left  Natal  in  December,  1837.  From  Port  Elizabeth,  Mr. 
Venable  proceeded  to  Cape  Town,  where  he  labored  for 
a  time ;  then  went  on  to  America,  and  there,  at  his  own 
request,  received  an  honorable  release  from  his  connec- 
tion with  the  Board.  Mrs.  Champion's  health  being 
much  impaired  by  the  dangers  and  hardships  to  which 
she  had  been  subject,  Mr.  Champion  went  with  her  to 
America,  where  they  arrived  April  9th,  1839.  Nor 
was  he  permitted  to  realize  his  ardent  desire  to  return 
again  to  this  field.  He  labored  for  a  time  in  the  minis- 
try at  home  ;  but  being  soon  attacked  with  a  pulmonary 


THE  AMERICAN  MISSION. 


209 


complaint,  he  went  to  Santa  Cruz,  where,  on  the  17th 
of  December,  1841,  at  the  age  of  thirty-one,  he  died. 
"  His  life  was  one  of  rare  consecration  to  the  cause  of 
Christ."  Dr.  Wilson,  who  had  also  gone  to  Ame- 
rica, embarked  again  on  the  27th  of  July,  of  the  same 
year,  1839,  at  New  York,  and  went  to  join  the  West 
African  mission,  which  was  laboring  at  that  time  at  Cape 
Palmas.  Here  he  remained  for  two  years,  diligently 
engaged  in  his  Master's  service,  when  he  was  attacked 
with  dysentery ;  and,  on  the  13th  of  October,  1841, 
taking  a  cheerful  leave  of  this  life,  he  entered  into  rest. 

The  British  Grovernment  having  taken  military  pos- 
session of  Port  Natal,  and  many  of  the  affairs  of  the 
District  beginning  to  betoken  peace  and  safety,  Dr. 
Adams  left  Grraham's-Town  for  an  overland  trip  to  Na- 
tal, where  he  arrived  on  the  23d  of  March,  1839,  to 
ascertain  the  true  state  of  things,  and  see  what  opening 
there  might  be  for  farther  missionary  operations.  Much 
encouraged  by  his  visit,  he  carried  back  a  good  report, 
and  presently  returned  with  Mrs.  Adams  and  Mr.  Lind- 
ley,  reaching  Natal  on  the  12th  of  June.  Mrs.  Lind- 
ley  having  been  detained  by  the  illness  of  one  of  their 
children,  came  by  another  opportunity. 

Mr.  Lindley  now  thought  it  advisable  to  devote  him- 
self to  the  instruction  of  the  Boers,  and  accordingly  be- 
gan to  labor  among  them  as  a  teacher  and  a  preacher ; 
in  which  course  he  had  both  the  approval  of  the  Board 
and  the  gratitude  of  the  Boers.  Dr.  Adams  returned 
to  his  old  station  on  the  Umlazi,  where  he  found  his 
buildings  yet  standing,  though  bearing  marks  of  an  at- 
tempt having  been  made  to  set  them  a  fire.  Nor 
was  he  long  in  learning  that  great  changes  had 
18* 


210 


ZULU-LAND. 


been  wrouglit — not  for  the  better — among  the  people 
of  his  former  charge.  Still  there  was  enough  to  do,  and 
much  to  encourage  him. 

In  a  year  from  the  time  of  his  last  return  to  Natal, 
he  had  a  Sabbath  audience  of  about  five  hundred ;  a 
Sabbath-school  of  more  than  two  hundred  ;  a  large  and 
flourishing  day-school ;  and  an  out-station  six  miles  dis- 
tant, where  he  went  to  hold  worship  every  Sabbath, 
after  the  home  labors  of  the  day  were  done.  Mrs. 
Adams  had  a  prayer-meeting  once  a  week  for  adult  fe- 
males, and  a  school  for  girls ;  gave  each  class  a  lesson 
from  time  to  time  in  needle-work ;  and  soon  had  the 
satisfaction  of  seeing  that  one  of  the  women  gave  evi- 
dence of  having  become  a  new  creature  in  Christ  Jesus. 
The  printing-press  was  also  set  up,  and  a  few  small 
books  printed. 

Mr.  Aldin  Grout,  returning  from  America,  reached 
Natal  on  the  30th  of  June,  1840 ;  and  after  remaining 
at  Umlazi  nearly  a  year,  he  returned  to  the  Zulu  coun- 
try ;  re-crossing  the  river  Tugela,  with  the  Boers'  con- 
sent, in  May,  1841.  Passing  by  the  now  solitary  site 
of  Ginani,  where  he  and  Mr.  Champion  had  formerly 
labored,  going  on  also  a  little  beyond  Hlangezwa,  where 
Messrs.  Yenable  and  Wilson  were  once  stationed,  he 
commenced  operations  anew,  at  Empangeni,  an  eastern 
branch  of  the  Umhlatusi.  He  called  the  station  Inkan- 
yezi,  which  means  a  star.  The  country  around  was 
thickly  inhabited,  there  being  no  less  than  thirty-seven 
kraals,  or  villages,  so  near  that  the  people  could  meet 
at  the  station  for  worship  on  the  Sabbath.  For  a  time, 
the  ajffairs  of  the  station  seemed  to  prosper.  *  The  au- 
dience  on  the   Sabbath  amounted  to  two  or  three 


THE  AMERICAN  MISSION. 


211 


hundred,  and  the  day-school  was  well  attended.  At 
length,  however,  the  king,  perceiving  that  some  of  the 
people  who  lived  even  at  a  distance  from  the  station 
were  looking  at  it  and  fleeing  to  it  as  a  place  of  refuge, 
and  that  some  who  lived  about  the  station  were  gradu- 
ally beginning  as  he  thought,  to  forget  their  allegiance 
to  him,  and  to  attach  themselves  to  the  missionary, 
sent  a  military  force  to  punish  and  destroy  them. 

Both  the  missionary  and  his  people  were,  for  some 
months,  in  a  measure  aware  that  Dingan's  favor  was 
not  towards  them.  Hence,  the  people  about  the  station 
shunned  the  king's  presence,  and  kept  away  from  the 
royal  residence, — all  which,  in  its  turn,  served  to  ex- 
asperate the  king,  and  widen  the  breach  between  him 
and  his  suspected  subjects. 

Accordingly,  on  the  25th  of  July,  1842,  that  is,  a  little 
more  than  a  year  after  the  station  was  commenced,  an 
attack  was  made  upon  half  a  dozen  of  the  nearer  kraals, 
three  of  which  the  king  doomed  to  utter  destruction.  In 
accordance  with  the  Zulu  mode,  the  attack  was  sudden, 
and  at  early  dawn.  Though  no  violence  was  done  to 
the  missionary,  he  thought  it  no  longer  safe  to  remain. 
He  accordingly  left  the  place  at  once,  and  returned  to 
Natal,  taking  with  him  such  of  the  surviving  natives  as 
had  attached  themselves  to  him,  and  felt  that  their  lives 
were  not  safe  where  they  were.  After  spending  a  few 
weeks  at  Umlazi,  he  went  to  the  Umgeni,  six  miles  north 
from  the  Bay,  where  he  took  up  his  abode,  and  remained 
four  or  five  months ;  preaching  to  a  numerous  audience 
of  natives  on  the  Sabbath,  and  waiting  to  see  what  way 
Providence  might  open  for  him,  for  the  mission,  and  for 
the  tribes  of  the  District. 


212 


ZULU-LAND. 


In  view  of  tlie  many  reverses  to  which  the  mission 
had  been  subject,  and  of  the  still  unsettled  state  of 
things  in  and  around  Natal ;  also  in  view  of  the  pros- 
pect that  this  field  would  be  looked  after  by  Eng- 
lish missionaries  :  and  that  the  funds  of  the  Board  could 
be  expended  to  better  advantage  in  other  lands,  the  Mis- 
sionary Board  now  thought  it  expedient  to  discontinue 
the  mission.  Their  committee  wrote,  August  31, 1843, 
instructing  the  missionaries  to  bring  it  to  a  close.  The 
letter  reached  the  mission  in  the  early  part  of  1844 ; 
and  Mr.  Grout,  hearing  of  a  vessel  about  to  sail  for 
Cape  Town,  took  passage  to  that  place  with  a  view  of 
returning  to  America.  Dr.  Adams,  however,  still  re- 
mained. Thus  passed  the  first  nine  years  of  the  mis- 
sion from  America  to  the  Amazulu  and  other  heathen 
tribes  in  and  around  Natal. 


THE  AMERICAN  MISSION. 


213 


CHAPTER  XYI. 

HISTORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  ZULU  MISSION,  FROM 
1843  TO  1862. 

Before  the  arrangements,  mentioned  in  the  foregoing 
chapter,  to  bring  the  American  Zulu  mission  to  a  close, 
could  be  carried  into  effect,  the  social  and  political  state 
of  Natal  assumed  a  more  orderly  and  hopeful  aspect, 
which  induced  the  mission  and  the  Board  to  hold  on, 
and  so,  eventually,  to  establish  themselves  and  extend 
their  labors  among  the  people.  In  fact,  Dr.  Adams 
continued,  steadfast,  hopeful,  and  diligent,  at  his  post, 
preventing  an  absolute  interruption  of  the  work. 

Arriving  at  Cape  Town,  Mr.  Grout  was  dissuaded 
from  returning  to  America.  Ministers  of  the  gospel,  of 
various  denominations,  together  with  the  American  con- 
sul, and  the  governor  of  the  colony,  in  short,  men  of 
all  classes,  took  up  the  subject,  and  showed  in  both 
words  and  deeds  a  hearty  desire  to  have  the  mission 
continued.  A  public  meeting  was  held,  addresses  made, 
and  money  raised  to  defray  Mr.  Grout's  expenses,  while 
he  should  present  the  case  anew  to  the  Board,  and  wait 
farther  instructions.  The  Rev.  Dr.  Faure,  Dr.  Philip, 
and  others  wrote  to  the  Prudential  committee,  giving 
their  views  of  the  field,  and  urging  the  Board  to  con- 


214 


ZULU-LAND. 


tinue  the  mission.  In  view  of  all  these  facts  the  com- 
mittee could  not  doubt  the  importance  of  resuming  ope- 
rations in  Natal,  and  accordingly  gave  the  mission  in- 
structions to  do  so, — at  the  same  time  encouraging  them 
to  hope  for  an  early  reinforcement. 

Mr.  Grout,  however,  did  not  wait  a  reply  from  the 
Board  before  returning  to  Natal.  With  an  appoint- 
ment from  the  governor  of  the  Cape,  Sir  Peregrine 
Maitland,  as  government  missionary,  with  a  salary  of 
£150,  he  returned  in  June,  1844,  to  Natal,  and  selected 
a  site  for  a  station  on  the  Umvoti  river,  about  forty 
miles  north-east  from  the  Port,  and  six  from  the  sea, 
where,  with  the  exception  of  a  visit  to  America  a  few 
years  since,  he  has  remained  to  the  present  time,  labor- 
ing with  untiring  zeal  and  devotion.  His  appointment 
from  the  government  was  retained  about  a  year,  after 
which  his  previous  connection  with  the  Board  was  re- 
sumed. 

Towards  the  close  of  this  year,  1844,  Dr.  Adams 
made  a  visit  to  the  Cape ;  and  on  the  10th  of  Decem- 
ber received  ordination  as  a  minister  of  the  gospel ;  the 
services  being  performed  by  Drs.  Philip  and  Adamson, 
Messrs.  Faure  and  Brown,  clergymen  of  that  place. 
The  offer  of  an  appointment  as  government  missionary 
was  made  to  Dr.  Adams,  but,  with  thanks  to  the  government 
for  the  proffer,  he  declined  to  receive  it.  On  his  return 
from  the  Cape  he  resumed  his  labors  at  Umlazi,  and  in- 
deed throughout  the  new  colony,  with  a  heart  full  of  hope. 
His  Sabbath  audiences  were  large,  varying  from  five 
hundred  to  a  thousand ;  their  attention  to  the  preach- 
ing was  good,  often  earnest  and  solemn ;  and  their  ge- 
neral deportment  was  quiet  and  orderly.    His  Sabbath- 


THE  AMERICAN  MISSION. 


215 


school  numbered  from  three  hundred  to  five  hundred, 
and  his  day-school  about  a  hundred.  Nor  did  he  con- 
fine his  labors  to  the  station  alone,  but  in  the  summer 
season  held  services  at  an  out-station  six  miles  away, 
and  made  occasional  tours  among  the  tribes  at  a  dis- 
tance. Here,  his  arrival  at  a  kraal  was  a  signal  for  the 
people  in  that  and  the  neighboring  kraals  to  assemble 
for  worship.  Having  addressed  them  for  half  an  hour, 
more  or  less,  he  rode  to  another  settlement ;  and  when 
night  came  his  hut  would  be  filled  with  men,  women, 
and  children,  all  glad  to  hear  as  long  as  his  strength 
would  allow  him  to  speak. 

More  than  ten  years  elapsed,  after  the  mission  first 
set  their  feet  on  the  shores  of  Natal,  ere  they  began  to 
see  any  very  manifest  or  important  results  of  their 
labors.  But  during  the  year  1846  not  only  were  the 
Sabbath  audiences  and  day-schools  large  and  flourishing, 
but  the  missionaries  began  also  to  have  hope  that  a  few 
of  their  hearers  had  profited  by  the  truths  of  the  gospel, 
and  become  the  true  friends  of  God. 

In  the  early  part  of  the  year  an  old  woman,  Umba- 
lasi  by  name,  once  the  wife  of  a  distinguished  chief,  ex- 
pressed to  the  missionary  a  wish  to  be  baptized,  and  to 
make  a  public  profession  of  her  faith  in  Christ.  For 
many  months  her  life  had  been  such  as  to  induce  the 
belief  that  she  had  been  born  of  the  Spirit.  Accord- 
ingly, in  June  of  that  year,  she  was  permitted  to  sit 
down  with  th^  missionary  and  his  wife  at  the  table  of 
the  Lord,  to  commemorate  with  them  his  dying  love. 
On  the  19th  of  August,  two  men,  then  living  at  Umlazi, 
came  out  from  their  heathenism  and  polygamy;  and,  in 
presence  of  a  sinful  and  adulterous  generation,  took 


216 


ZULU-LAND. 


eacli  a  wife  in  accordance  with  the  teachings  of  the 
gospel,  and  the  forms  of  a  civilized.  Christian  govern- 
ment. These  men  having  had  two  wives  each,  one  of 
them  was  now  married  to  the  woman  who  was  first  taken ; 
the  other  to  the  one  who  was  taken  last,  inasmuch  as 
the  first  was  opposed  to  his  embracing  the  gospel,  and 
had  no  desire  to  remain  with  him  longer.  Near  the 
close  of  the  year,  another  party  was  married  in  a  Chris- 
tian manner  at  Umvoti,  who  also,  in  a  few  months,  made 
a  profession  of  the  Christian  faith. 

On  the  15th  of  August,  the  Rev.  J.  C.  Bryant  reached 
Umlazi.  Immediately  after  the  mission  meeting  in 
September,  1847,  he  went  to  commence  a  new  station 
at  Ifumi,  where  Mr.  Lindley  had  begun  to  labor  ten 
years  before ;  but  no  trace  of  that  former  occupation, 
which  was  broken  up  by  Zulu  forays,  was  now  to  be 
found.  Mr.  Bryant  remained  here,  laboring  with  much 
fidelity,  devotion,  and  success,  for  about  two  years, 
though  suffering  from  an  affection  of  the  lungs.  Being 
relieved  from  oral  labor  and  the  charge  of  his  station, 
in  September,  1849,  when  Mr.  Ireland  was  located 
there,  he  devoted  the  remnant  of  his  strength  chiefly 
to  the  work  of  preparing  books  in  the  Zulu  language ; 
having  a  home  for  most  of  the  time  with  the  writer  at 
Umsunduzi.  He  died  at  Inanda,  December  23,  1850, 
beloved  and  lamented  by  all  who  knew  him. 

In  the  early  part  of  the  year  1847,  Mr.  Lindley  re- 
sumed his  connection  with  the  mission,  and  commenced 
a  station  a  little  more  than  twenty  miles  north-westerly 
from  the  bay,  near  a  mountain  called  Inanda,  from 
which  the  station  took  its  name.  Here  he  remained 
till  1858,  when  he  transferred  his  station  to  a  new  site 


I 


THE  AMERICAN  MISSION. 


217 


some  miles  nearer  to  Durban,  tlie  seaport  town.  After 
visiting  America  he  has  again  resumed  his  labors  for 
the  land  to  -which  he  has  devoted  his  life. 

On  the  15th  of  February,  1847,  Mr.  Lewis  Grout 
reached  Natal ;  and,  after  a  few  months'  residence  at 
Umlazi  and  Umvoti,  he  commenced  a  new  station, 
October  1st,  on  the  sources  of  the  Umsunduzi,  an 
eastern  branch  of  the  Umhloti,  about  thirty  miles 
north  of  the  port,  and  about  half  that  distance  from  the 
sea.  In  the  good  providence  of  God  he  is  permitted  to 
remain  here  till  the  present  time,  fourteen  years  from 
the  day  of  his  landing  in  Natal.* 

The  same  year,  1847,  Dr.  Adams  transferred  his  sta- 
tion from  the  Umlazi  river  to  the  Amanzimtoti,  some 
ten  or  twelve  miles  farther  from  Durban,  to  the  south- 
west ;  the  new  site  being  more  centrally  situated  in  re- 
gard to  the  people  among  whom  he  wished  to  labor. 
Here  he  remained,  diligent  and  faithful,  till  called  to  go 
hence  and  rest  from  his  labors.  He  died  on  the  16th 
of  September,  1851,  a  pioneer  missionary,  whose  faith 
and  patience  never  failed. 

The  old  station  (at  Umlazi  river)  was  kept  up  for  a 
year  or  two,  being  left  in  charge  of  Mr.  M 'Kinney,  who 
arrived  on  the  31st  of  July,  and  a  year  later  began  to 
explore  the  country  in  the  region  of  the  Amahlongwa 
river.  He  here  selected  a  site  for  a  station  about  four 
miles  west  of  the  Umkomazi,  five  from  the  sea,  and 
forty-five  from  Durban,  and  labored  till  the  latter  part 
of  1852.    His  health  failing,  he  eventually  was  obliged 

*  Here  he  continued  to  labor,  so  far  as  impaired  health  would  allow, 
still  another  year,  and  then  returned  to  America,  leaving  Natal  in  March, 
1862. 


218 


ZULU-LAND. 


to  return  to  America.  Regaining  his  health  he  returned 
to  Africa,  reaching  Natal  again  in  January,  1857,  and 
was  designated  to  Amanzimtoti,  where  he  is  still  labor- 
ing. The  station,  or  rather  the  site,  at  Umlazi  river, 
being  abandoned  by  the  mission,  was  taken  up  by 
Bishop  Colenso  of  the  Church  of  England  Missions. 

In  January,  1848,  Messrs.  Marsh  and  Rood  arrived ; 
and  soon  each  began  a  new  station,  the  former  at  Table 
Mountain,  the  latter  at  Ifafa.  The  station  commenced 
by  Mr.  Marsh  was  situated  on  the  north  side  of  the 
Umgeni,  forty  miles  from  the  sea,  and  about  twenty-five 
miles  to  the  east  of  Maritzburg,  over  against  UmJcam- 
hati,  or  Table  Mountain,  from  which  the  station  took  its 
name.  But  in  view  of  the  difficulty  of  reaching  this 
locality,  the  ford  on  the  Umgeni  being  rocky,  and  the 
water  often  high  and  rapid,  endangering  the  lives  of 
the  missionary  and  his  family,  that  place  was  abandoned 
for  another,  fifteen  miles  farther  east,  or  about  thirty- 
five  miles  west  of  north  from  Durban,  and  twenty-five 
from  the  nearest  sea-coast,  among  the  sources  of  the 
Umhloti.  To  this  place,  called  Itafamasi,  he  removed 
about  the  middle  of  1849,  and  there  continued  to  labor 
till  laid  upon  a  bed  of  sickness,  where  he  suffered  for 
two  months,  and  then  died  on  the  11th  of  December, 
1853, — "a  brother  greatly  beloved." 

Mr.  Rood  was  first  stationed  at  Ifafa,  sixty  miles 
south-west  from  Durban,  where  he  remained  till  called 
to  take  the  place  of  Dr.  Adams  at  Amanzimtoti,  Sep- 
tember, 1851.  Here,  in  1853,  his  labors  were  made 
doubly  arduous  by  having  to  take  charge  of  a  seminary 
for  the  education  of  young  men.  A  failure  of  health, 
in  1857,  obliged  him  to  seek  a  change  ;  he  Vr  cnt  first 


THE  AMERICAN  MISSION. 


219 


into  the  upper  part  of  the  colony,  and  afterwards  to 
the  Cape,  with  a  hope  to  recover  his  strength.  He  re- 
turned from  the  Cape  in  June,  1858.  After  remaining 
a  year,  with  health  still  feeble,  he  embarked  for  a  visit 
to  America,  leaving  the  station  at  Amanzimtoti  in  care 
of  Mr.  M'Kinney. 

At  the  close  of  the  year  of  which  I  am  now  speaking, 
1848,  the  mission  numbered  eight  stations, — Umlazi,  or 
rather  Amanzimtoti,  Umvoti,  Inanda,  Ifumi,  Umsun- 
duzi,  Amahlongwa,  Ifafa,  and  Umkambati,  or  Table 
Mountain ;  together  with  the  same  number  of  ordained 
missionaries, — Adams,  Aldin  Grout,  Lindley,  Bryant, 
Lewis  Grout,  M'Kinney,  Rood,  and  Marsh.  There  were 
also  three  out-stations  at  that  time,  chiefly  under  the 
care  of  Dr.  Adams.  The  attendance  upon  preaching 
was  good  ;  and  the  word  was  blessed  to  the  hopeful  con- 
version of  souls  at  all  the  older  stations.  The  number  of 
pages  which  had  been  printed,  counting  from  the  first, 
amounted  to  nearly  three  hundred  thousand. 

In  1849,  the  mission  was  enlarged  by  the  addition  of 
Mr.  Ireland,  in  February ;  and  Messrs.  Abraham, 
Tyler,  and  Wilder,  in  July.  At  the  general  meeting 
in  September,  Mr.  Ireland  was  stationed  at  Ifumi,  in 
connection  with  Mr.  Bryant :  where  he  soon  came  into 
entire  charge  of  the  station,  and  continues  to  labor 
with  a  good  degree  of  success,  to  the  present  time.  At 
the  same  meeting,  Mr.  Abraham  was  appointed  to  com- 
mence a  new  station  at  Mapumulo,  some  seventy-five 
miles  north  of  Durban,  and  twenty-five  from  the 
sea ;  where  he  still  continues  to  labor.  Mr.  Wilder  was 
designated  to  the  charge  of  the  printing-press,  tempo- 
rarily, or  till  the  printer  should  arrive.    The  prcfs  was 


220 


ZULU-LAND. 


set  up,  for  the  time,  at  Umbilo,  three  miles  west  of 
Durban.  At  the  meeting  in  September,  1850,  Mr.  But- 
ler, the  printer,  having  arrived,  Mr.  Wilder  was  re- 
leased ;  and,  in  the  following  February,  appointed  to  a 
new  station  at  Umtwalume,  seventy-five  miles  south- 
west of  Durban, — a  continuation  of  the  line  of  stations 
along  the  coast  in  that  direction, — where  he  is  still  la- 
boring. 

In  December,  Mr.  Tyler  was  stationed  in  the  region 
called  Isidumbi,  or  Esidumbini,  about  forty-five  miles 
north  of  Durban,  and  twenty  from  the  sea,  where  he  is 
still  prosecuting  his  work. 

During  the  year  1849,  the  Rev.  J.  L.  Dohne,  a  Ger- 
man missionary,  who  had  labored  for  several  years  in 
Kafirland,  under  the  Berlin  Society,  and  subsequently 
at  Pietermaritzburg,  among  the  Dutch,  became  a  mem- 
ber of  the  mission,  and  commenced  a  new  station  near 
Table  Mountain,  on  the  south  of  the  Umgeni.  Mr. 
Dohne  continued  to  labor  here,  until  1860,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  a  visit  to  the  Cape  to  get  his  Dictionary 
printed ;  when  his  feeble  health  obliged  him  to  relin- 
quish his  labors. 

His  "Zulu-Kafir  Dictionary,"  459  pages,  8vo.  dou- 
ble columns,  which  was  printed  at  Cape  Town,  in  1857, 
containing  more  than  ten  thousand  Zulu  words,  etymo- 
logically  explained,  with  copious  illustrations  and  ex- 
amples, is  not  only  the  first  Dictionary  of  a  South  Afri- 
can tongue  that  can  claim  any  approximation  to  com- 
pleteness ;  but  also  a  living  monument  of  the  author's 
industry,  careful  observation,  and  unfaltering  perse- 
verance. 

At  the  annual  meeting  of  the  mission  held  in  Sop- 


THE  AMERICAN  MISSION.  221 

tember,  1850,  at  Umsunduzi,  all  the  members  of  tlie 
mission,  fourteen  families,  numbering  forty-six  souls, 
were  present ;  and  though  nearly  fifteen  years  had 
elapsed  since  the  mission  was  commenced,  no  member 
of  the  mission  had  died  in  the  field.  The  first  grave 
for  any  of  our  number  was  dug  in  the  following  Decem- 
ber, when  Mr.  Bryant  died,  at  Inanda.  A  nucleus 
of  nine  churches  had  now  been  formed,  containing  a 
hundred  and  twenty-three  members,  thirty-six  of  whom 
were  received  during  the  current  year. 

During  the  next  year,  1851,  two  men  joined  the  mis- 
sion,— Mr.  Stone  in  January  ;  and  Mr.  Mellen,  in  Au- 
gust. The  former  was  placed  at  Ifafa.  The  latter  was 
appointed  to  the  Umtwalume  station,  with  Mr.  Wilder. 
In  1857,  he  took  the  place  of  Mr.  Aldin  Grout,  then 
on  a  visit  to  America,  at  the  Umvoti  station.  Leaving 
Umvoti,  on  the  return  of  Mr.  Grout,  in  1859,  he  went 
to  Inanda,  to  fill  the  post  of  Mr.  Lindley,  during  his 
absence. 

During  this  and  the  following  year,  in  fact,  from  1851 
to  1857,  owing  in  great  measure  to  the  social  and  politi- 
cal state  of  the  country,  the  mission  saw  but  little  fruit 
of  its  labors,  and  had  to  work  chiefly  by  faith.  Through 
the  ill  health  of  Mr.  M 'Kinney,  and  the  death  of  Mr. 
Marsh,  two  stations  were  relinquished.  The  Sabbath 
audiences  at  the  several  stations  were  small,  averaging 
from  forty  to  two  hundred.  In  1854,  the  number  of 
church  members  amounted,  in  all,  to  about  a  hundred 
and  fifty ;  and  in  1857,  to  about  a  hundred  and  ninety. 

The  brightest  spot  in  the  mission,  at  this  time,  was  the 
school,  or  seminary,  for  raising  up  teachers  and  preach- 
ers from  among  the  natives  who  had  professed  the 
19* 


222 


ZULU-LAND. 


Christian  faith.  This  commenced  with  nine  scholars  in 
1853.  The  next  year  it  numbered  eleven ;  the  year 
following,  twenty;  the  fourth  year,  twenty-five.  The 
health  of  the  teacher,  Mr.  Rood,  was  now  so  far  im- 
paired as  to  oblige  him  to  give  up  the  school ;  and  there 
being  no  one  to  take  his  place,  it  was  discontinued. 

The  years  1855  and  1856  were  marked  by  a  thorough 
discussion  of  the  subject  of  Polygamy.  In  this  discus- 
sion Bishop  Colenso  took  an  active  part  in  defence  of 
the  sufferance  of  polygamy  in  the  church  and  in  oppo- 
sition to  the  principles  and  practice  of  the  American 
missionaries.  The  debate  was  maintained  in  the  Colonial 
papers  and  by  several  pamphlets,  and  elicited  much  at- 
tention. 

During  a  visit  from  Sir  George  Grey,  Governor  of 
the  Cape  colony.  High  Commissioner,  &c.,  &c.,  in  1855, 
steps  were  taken  to  secure  the  use  of  five  hundred  acres 
of  land  at  each  of  our  stations  as  a  glebe  for  missionary 
purposes ;  in  addition  to  which  a  reserve  of  six  or  eight 
thousand  acres  was  to  be  laid  off  round  each  station  for 
the  people.  But  what  was  to  become  of  the  original, 
larger  reserves  or  location  lands,  in  the  midst  of  which 
most  of  our  stations  had  been  planted,  did  not  appear. 
Sir  George's  plan,  however,  is,  as  yet,  but  partially  ex- 
ecuted ;  though  several  years  have  elapsed  since  it  was 
initiated. 

Mr.  Pixley  reached  Natal  in  January,  1856,  and 
spent  a  year  at  Umlazi,  as  the  new  site  at  Amanzimtoti 
continued  to  be  called, — studying  the  language  of  the 
natives,  and  aiding  Mr.  Rood  in  the  school.  In  Fe- 
bruary, 1857,  he  was  appointed  to  rebuild  the  Amah- 
longwa  station,  where  he  is  still  laboring.    It  was  at 


THE  AMERICAN  MISSION. 


223 


about  this  time,  also,  that  a  large  number  of  Zulus  came 
over  into  the  colony  of  Natal  to  escape  the  ravages  of 
the  intestine  feuds  in  which  the  princes  of  the  land, 
Umpande's  sons,  and  their  respective  adherents  were 
now  engaged.  Among  the  refugees  were  two  of  Um- 
pande's younger  sons,  who,  with  others,  through  the 
agency  or  assistance  of  Mr.  Shepstone,  Secretary  to 
government  for  native  affairs,  have  been  committed  to 
the  care  of  Dr.  Colenso,  Bishop  of  the  church  of  Eng- 
land in  Natal. 

In  the  early  part  of  1859,  the  printing-press  was  set 
up  at  Umsunduzi ;  and  in  a  little  more  than  six  months, 
half  a  sheet  of  easy  lessons,  a  translation  of  the  Acts 
of  the  Apostles,  and  a  grammar  of  the  Zulu  language 
were  printed, — the  whole  number  of  pages  amounting 
to  nearly  three  hundred  thousand,  all  large  octavo; 
which,  considering  the  size  of  the  pages  and  other  cir- 
cumstances, was  really  more  than  twice  as  much  as  had 
l^een  done  for  us,  on  the  presses  of  the  colony,  during 
the  seven  previous  years.  These  three  works  were 
printed  in  Dr.  Lepsius's  "Standard  Alphabet,"  which 
the  mission  had  resolved  to  adopt.  A  pity  it  is,  the 
writer  must  add,  that,  before  any  of  these  works  had 
been  fairly  published,  much  less  tried, — in  fact,  while 
his  grammar  was  still  in  press,  being  now  about  half 
printed, — at  a  meeting  in  June,  which  the  author  was 
unable  to  attend,  a  majority  of  the  mission  was  found 
disposed  to  discard  that  "Standard"  in  a  very  sum- 
mary manner,  and  that,  too,  after  it  had  been  carefully 
prepared  in  accordance  with  specifications  which  the 
mission  had  published  in  previous  years.  Let  it  not  be 
supposed,  however,  that  this  came  through  any  real 


224 


ZULU-LAND. 


fault  or  defect  in  tlie  new  "Alphabet."  As  I  have  re- 
marked in  the  "Introduction"  to  mj  grammar: — 

"  It  was  not  to  be  expected  that  a  new  measure  of 
this  kind  would  satisfy  the  particular  preference  or  pre- 
judice of  all  parties,  especially  when  it  happens  that 
some  who  think  themselves  most  competent  to  make  an 
alphabet,  or  to  criticise  one  which  has  been  made,  are 
really  ignorant  of  the  first  great  principles  on  which  an 
alphabet  should  be  constructed ;  and  where,  too,  one 
person  is  often  inclined  to  look  only  at  one  point,  an- 
other at  another,  each  with  eyes  so  intent  upon  his  own 
one  point  as  to  exclude  a  dozen  others  of  equal  or 
greater  importance.  Nor  is  it  any  new  thing  for  new 
things  to  be  opposed.  Even  the  greatest  improvements 
have  often  met,  at  first,  with  the  greatest  opposition ; 
the  fault  being,  not  in  the  improvement  or  change,  but 
in  the  opponent's  ignorance  of  its  value,  or  in  a  lack  of 
willingness  to  accommodate  himself  to  it."  ^ 

On  the  30th  of  December,  1859,  Mr.  Robbins  aii 
rived  at  Natal.  He  was  appointed  to  commence  a  sta^ 
tion  on  the  Umzumbe  River,  a  little  beyond  the  Um- 
twalume,  ninety  miles  south-west  of  Durban,  yet  not 
far  from  the  sea-coast.  Mr.  Bridgman,  who  arrived  in 
1860,  was  stationed  at  Ifumi  with  Mr.  Ireland. 

The  "  Tabular  Yiew"  of  the  mission  for  1860  gives  a 
general  summary  of  the  more  important  facts,  as  they 
then  stood.  Guided  by  this  "  view"  we  find  that  the  mis- 
sion now  numbers  twelve  stations,  not  counting  Itafa- 
masi.  It  also  numbers  thirteen  ordained  missionaries  and 
their  wives,  not  counting  two  temporarily  absent.  The 
average  size  of  the  Sabbath  audiences,  of  the  schools, 
and  of  the  churches,  at  the  several  stations,  Umzumbe 


THE  AMERICAN  MISSION.  225 


excepted,  may  be  learned  from  a  glance  at  the  follow- 
ing table : — 


Sabbath 
Congregation. 

Pupils. 

Church 
Members. 

40 

12 

1 

210 

40 

60 

45 

14 

50 

16 

13 

82 

16 

51 

14 

2 

120 

40 

47 

77 

32 

30 

36 

7 

2 

40 

10 

3 

85 

32 

15 

Total... 

799 

219 

224 

Three  or  four  native  teachers  are  employed :  one  at 
Umvoti ;  one  at  Inanda ;  and  one  or  two  others,  as  also 
one  or  two  native  assistants,  at  some  of  the  other  sta- 
tions. Ninety  thousand  pages  were  printed  in  Zulu 
during  the  year,  which,  added  to  what  had  been  done 
in  former  years,  makes  a  total  of  1,780,680  from  the 
beginning. 

From  the  annual  report  of  the  mission  for  1860,  I 
make  the  following  extract,  which  will  give  my  rapid 
sketch  a  fitting  close.  Under  the  heading,  "  Results 
OF  Labor,"  it  says  : — 

"  Christians  at  home  are  asking  what  are  the  results 
of  missionary  labor  among  the  Zulus  ?  They  have  a 
right  to  ask.  And  we  can  reply :  Though  we  had  had 
no  success,  that  would  not  diminish  our  obligation,  or 
relieve  us  of  our  duty,  to  preach  the  gospel.  Though 


226 


ZULU-LAND. 


there  had  been  no  converts,  though  our  discouragements 
were  increased  a  hundredfold,  though  the  heathen  were, 
if  possible,  more  depraved  than  they  now  are,  so  long 
as  we  have  the  command,  '  Go  ye  into  all  the  world  and 
preach  the  gospel  to  every  creature,'  we  would  desire 
cheerfully  to  continue  our  work  and  leave  results  with 
God.  But  we  rejoice  to  say,  we  see  results.  There 
are  indications  of  progress,  and  the  grounds  of  confi- 
dence, as  to  our  ultimate  success,  are  as  certain  as  the 
word  and  promise  of  an  unchanging  God  can  make 
them.  It  is  no  small  result,  that  we  have  gained  free 
access  to  the  heathen  people  ;  have  acquired  their  lan- 
guage and  committed  it  to  writing ;  have  translated  into 
it  portions  of  God's  word ;  and  are  prepared  to  preach, 
every  Sabbath,  to  hundreds,  the  words  of  eternal  life. 
The  rapidly  advancing  civilization ;  the  improved  mode 
of  cultivating  the  soil ;  the  increasing  number  of  for- 
eign implements  of  labor ;  the  upright  houses  erected 
and  filled  with  more  and  better  articles  of  furniture ; 
the  gradual  change  of  native  customs  ;  the  Christian 
families  gathered ;  the  schools  sustained,  and  the 
churches  organized — all  results,  direct  or  indirect,  of 
mission  labor — are  positive  evidence  of  progress,  and 
encouragements  tc  continued  effort." 


THE  INLAND  MISSION. 


227 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

HISTOKY  OF  THE    INLAND  AMERICAN    MISSION,  TO  UM- 
ZILIKAZI  AND  HIS  PEOPLE,  AT  MOSIGA. 

That  branch  of  the  Americo-African  Mission  which 
was  sent,  primarily,  to  "  the  interior,"  as  the  inland 
region  was  then  called,  consisted  of  the  Eev.  Messrs. 
Lindley,  Yenable,  and  Wilson,  with  their  wives.  Ar- 
riving at  the  Cape  on  the  5th  of  February,  1835,  they 
provided  themselves  with  wagons,  oxen,  et  ccetera,  and, 
after  six  weeks'  travel,  found  themselves  at  Griqua 
Town,  six  hundred  miles  on  their  way  to  the  north. 
Remaining  here  with  Mr.  Wright  of  the  London  Mis- 
sionary Society,  for  some  months,  then  making  a  visit 
to  the  eminent  missionary  Moffat,  of  the  same  society, 
at  Kuruman,  another  hundred  miles  farther  north, — at 
length,  in  the  early  part  of  1836,  they  set  forward, 
again,  for  the  court  of  Umzilikazi*  at  Mosiga.  Meeting 
and  conferring  with  the  chief,  they  received  permission 
to  establish  themselves  at  this  place.  A  station  was 
commenced  about  the  middle  of  June,  fifteen  months 
after  their  departure  from  the  Cape. 

Mosiga,  Mosika,  or  Mosega,  as  some  write  it, — In- 
singo,  as  the  Zulus  call  it,  lies  embosomed  among  the 
hills  near  the  Kashan  or  Kurechane  mountains,  the 

*  By  MoflFat,  written, — Moailihatze, 


228 


ZULU-LAXD. 


Empama  of  the  Zulus,  the  Megalisberg  of  the  Dutch, 
about  251°  south  latitude,  and  between  26°  and  27° 
east  longitude,  or  a  thousand  miles  north-east  from  the 
cape.  In  this  beautiful  valley,  a  basin  three  or  four 
miles  in  diameter,  and  among  the  hills  by  which  it  is 
surrounded,  are  some  of  the  sources  of  the  Molopo,  an 
affluent  of  the  Orange,  which  pours  its  waters  into  the 
Atlantic  on  the  west ;  and  also  some  of  the  sources  of 
the  Ori  and  other  affluents  of  the  Limpopo,  which  runs 
first  to  the  north,  then  to  the  east  and  south,  where  it 
takes  the  name  of  the  Manice,  or  St.  Spirit  river,  and 
pours  itself  into  the  Indian  ocean  at  Delagoa  bay. 

In  1832,  an  attempt  was  made  by  the  Paris  (Evan- 
gelical) Missionary  Society,  to  establish  a  station  at 
this  place.  But  they  soon  found  themselves  obliged  to 
abandon  the  enterprise,  on  account  of  the  jealousy 
which  prevailed  among  the  tribes,  especially  on  the 
part  of  Umzilikazi  towards  Mokahla  who  was  at  this 
time  chief  of  the  Bahurutse.  Though  Umzilikazi  was 
now  living  at  a  distance  of  some  days'  travel  towards 
the  east,  yet  he  claimed  the  Bahurutse  as  tributaries. 
And,  so  large  were  his  demands,  so  great  his  power,  so 
rapid  the  extension  of  his  dominion  in  this  direction, 
that  many  of  the  inhabitants  of  Mosiga,  feeling  unsafe, 
soon  deserted  the  district, — some  of  them  following  the 
French  missionaries  to  Motito,  a  new  station  which, 
driven  from  Mosiga,  they  had  now  begun  some  forty 
miles  north-east  from  Kuruman.  Some  of  Umzilikazi's 
people,  the  Matebele,  under  command  of  Kalipe,  one 
of  his  chief  captains,  now  took  possession  of  the  com- 
paratively deserted  district ;  so  that,  in  1835,  the  Mo- 
siga basin  contained  a  large  military  capital,  besides 


THE  INLAND  MISSION. 


229 


half-a-dozen  other  kraals,  or  villages,  all  of  which  be- 
longed to  the  Matebele  tribe.  Besides  these,  there 
were  also  nearly  as  many  of  the  Bahurutse  people  living 
there  in  a  state  of  servile  dependence  upon  their  near 
neighbors. 

Who,  then,  was  Umzilikazi,  or  Mosilikatze,  as  they 
call  him  on  the  Bechuana  side  of  the  Kwahlamba  range  ? 
Arbousset  represents  him  as  "  the  formidable  king;" 
Moffat,  as  ^'the  Napoleon  of  the  Desert;"  Captain 
Harris,  as  "the  Lion  of  the  North."  All  this,  no 
doubt,  gives  some  idea  of  his  character.  If  we  seek 
for  his  parentage,  the  home  of  his  youth,  and  the  name 
of  his  tribe,  we  shall  find  that  he  was  the  son  of  Macho- 
bana,  who  was  the  son  of  Ubeche,  who  was  the  son  of 
Magauze;  that  he  was  born  and  brought  up  at  the  home 
of  his  ancestors,  Egumeni,  at  the  foot  of  Mount  Ingome, 
on  the  Black  Folosi,  in  the  northern  part  of  Zulu-land. 
The  tribe  or  clan  of  which  he  was  chieftain  was  called 
Ukumalo,  or  Kwakumalo,  and  sometimes  Uhlohlo. 
Their  two  largest  towns  were  called,  the  one  Egumeni, 
the  other  Esigudeni, — situated,  the  former  above,  the 
latter  below,  the  Ingome  mount.  Being  attacked  or  at 
least  harassed  by  a  powerful  neighbor,  Umzilikazi 
sought  the  aid  of  Chaka,  and  thus  became,  in  some  de- 
gree, subordinate  to  the  great  monarch  of  the  Zulus. 
This  relation,  however,  was  not  destined  to  continue 
long,  especially  after  Dingan  came  to  the  throne.  Still 
professing  a  kind  of  allegiance,  yet  failing  to  satisfy 
the  claims  of  that  most  petulant,  uncompromising  king, 
an  army  was  sent  to  chastise  him,  and  exact  the  tribute 
which  they  and  their  sovereign  held  to  be  their  due. 
Umzilikazi,  conscious  of  his  weakness,  yet  expecting 

20 

/ 


230 


ZULU-LAND. 


an  outbreak,  made  timely  preparation  for  flight,  set  his 
face  and  his  feet  towards  the  north-west,  and  so  escaped 
the  doom  which  Dingan  had  designed  to  bring  upon  him. 
Going  out,  with  his  people,  from  this  ancestral  abode, 
leaving  the  upland  sources  of  the  Black  Folosi  on  his 
left,  crossing  the  Ibivana  and  Pongolo ;  then  the  Um- 
konto  and  Ingwempisi,  the  two  most  inland  branches  of 
the  Sutw,  or  Lusutw ;  then  the  Iqwa  of  the  Zulus,  the 
Likwa  of  the  Bechuana,  the  same  which  makes  the 
highest  source  of  what  the  Boers  call  the  Yaal ;  then  the 
plain  called  Udede-ngenhlale,  and  finally  the  Ubalule, 
whose  waters  go  down  to  the  west,  through  the  Orange, 
to  the  Atlantic, — he  reached  the  Empama,  or  Kashan 
mountains,  and  the  vale  of  Mosiga.  Passing  beyond 
the  limits  of  Zulu-land,  his  tribe  seems  to  have  lost 
their  original  name  Ukumalo^  and  to  have  been  called, 
sometimes,  Ahakwazulu,  or  Zuluites,  but  generally  Ma- 
tebele,  w^hich  is  said  to  have  signified  tJwse  who  disappear, 
as  behind  their  large  shields. 

These  Matebele,  then,  with  their  chief  Umzilikazi, 
were  the  people  for  whom  the  missionaries,  Lindlcy, 
Venable,  and  Wilson,  with  their  wives,  went  to  labor, 
when  they  commenced  operations  in  the  valley  of  Mo- 
siga, on  the  15th  of  June,  1836.  But  Providence  had 
ordered  that  the  time  of  their  sojourn  at  this  place  should 
be  most  afflictive  and  transient.  Three  months'  work, 
with  such  native  help  as  they  could  obtain,  enabled  the 
missionaries  to  prepare  a  dwelling  ;  but,  moving  into  it 
while  the  floors  were  yet  damp,  which,  for  want  of 
boards,  w^ere  made  in  the  usual  pioneer  African  style 
by  covering  the  ground  with  a  thick  layer  of  ant-hill 
moistened,  pounded,  and  polished,  all  save  Dr.  Wilson 


THE  INLAND  MISSION. 


231 


were  soon  seized  with  a  most  distressing  and  obstinate 
fever.  After  eight  days'  suffering,  one  of  their  num- 
ber, Mrs.  Wilson,  yielded  to  the  disease.  Her  body 
was  laid  uncoffined  in  the  ground,  hard  by.  The  rest 
recovered,  though  not  until  the  fever,  together  with  dis- 
tressing rheumatic  affections,  had  preyed  upon  them 
for  several  months.  Indeed,  some  of  them  were  still 
confined  to  the  house,  some  to  their  beds,  when  they 
were  startled  one  morning  in  January,  1837,  by  the 
guns  of  the  Boers,  who  were  now  making  a  sudden  at- 
tack upon  the  people  by  whom  the  missionaries  were 
surrounded.  So  unexpected  and  vigorous  was  the  on- 
slaught that  the  greater  portion  of  the  dwellers  in  the 
vale  of  Mosiga  were  shot  down  on  that  one  bloody 
morning  ere  the  sun  could  reach  the  meridian. 

Many  of  the  Boers,  tired  of  British  rule  in  the  Cape 
Colony,  bid  adieu  to  that  district,  and  went  to  seek  new 
homes,  pasturage,  and  license,  in  lands  which  lay  to  the 
north  and  north-east.  Crossing  the  Orange  River,  they 
advanced  as  far  as  Thaba  '  Nchu,  and  pitched  their 
tents  in  the  land  of  the  Barolongs  and  other  of  the 
Bechuana  tribes  in  that  region.  Beginning,  presently, 
to  think  this  new  district  too  small  for  them,  being  also 
at  variance  among  themselves,  a  part  of  their  number 
crossed  the  Vaal,  or  Ky  Gariep,  and  pushed  on  farther 
north,  till  they  came  into  the  country  over  which  Um- 
zilikazi  and  his  followers  were  now  claiming  possession; 
and,  inasmuch  as  the  Matebele  chieftain  had  lately  suf- 
fered not  a  little  from  Griqua  and  other  forces,  which 
came  up  from  the  same  direction,  his  jealousy  and  fears 
were  all  the  sooner  excited  by  the  approach  and  squat- 
ting of  the  Boer  upon  lands  which  he  had  already  begun 


232 


ZULU-LAND. 


to  call  his  own.  Seeing,  too,  the  large,  fat  herds  which 
these  new-comers  had  brought  to  feed  on  his  farms, 
thinking  also  how  it  would  please  his  men  to  take  them, 
moreover  knowing  as  yet  but  little  about  the  make  and 
metal  of  the  men  and  arms  with  which  he  was  cominor 

o 

into  collision,  he  made  out  a  predatory  force,  fell  upon 
the  immigrants,  slew  nearly  fifty  of  their  party, — of 
whom  twenty  were  white  men,  the  rest  colored  people 
in  their  employ, — and  carried  off  some  thousands  of  his 
victims'  herds  and  flocks, — the  Boers  say,  six  thousand 
head  of  cattle,  and  more  than  forty  thousand  sheep. 
Those  of  the  Boers  who  survived  the  attack  now  re- 
turned to  their  friends  in  the  neighborhood  of  Thaba 
'Nchu  ;  and  in  two  or  three  months  they  succeeded  in 
making  up  a  hostile  force  of  a  little  more  than  two 
hundred  warriors, — to  wit,  sixty  armed  savages  on  foot, 
forty  mounted  Griquas,  and  the  rest  mounted  Boers, — 
to  go  and  punish  Umzilikazi  for  the  evil  he  had  inflicted 
upon  them,  and  do  what  they  could  to  recover  the  loss 
which  they  had  suffered  at  his  hands. 

Leaving  Thaba  'Nchu  on  the  3d  of  January,  with  a 
captive  deserter  from  Umzilikazi's  army  for  a  guide, 
crossing  the  Ky  Grariep  and  bearing  to  the  west  till  they 
came  to  the  Kuruman  road,  at  the  earliest  dawn  on  the 
17th,  all  unobserved,  unexpected,  they  suddenly  emerged 
from  a  pass  just  in  the  rear  of  the  mission  house ;  came 
down  upon  the  inhabitants  of  that  beautiful  valley;  and, 
ere  half  the  day  was  done,  their  long  guns  had  laid 
the  bodies  of  four  hundred  Matebele  warriors  lifeless  on 
the  ground, — and  not  a  Dutchman  wounded  throughout 
the  whole  affair.  So  secret  and  sudden  was  their  ap- 
proach, that  even  the  missionaries  knew  nothing  of  it 


THE  INLAND  MISSION.  233 

» 

till  roused  from  their  slumbers  bj  the  firing  of  the  guns ; 
a  musket  ball  coming  in  at  the  window  of  Mrs.  Vena- 
ble's  bedroom,  and  striking  upon  the  wall  just  over  her 
head. 

Having  destroyed  fourteen  or  fifteen  villages,  and  re- 
covered six  or  seven  thousand  head  of  cattle,  together 
with  the  wagons  which  Umzilikazi  had  taken  from  them, 
the  Boers  prepared  to  return, — not,  however,  till  they 
had  persuaded  the  missionaries  to  go  back  with  them. 
Reduced,  as  they  had  been,  to  great  weakness,  depressed 
by  fever  and  rheumatic  pains ;  far  removed  from  the 
sight  of  civilization  and  from  the  society  of  intelligent, 
Christian  friends ;  shocked  by  the  sanguinary  aspect  of 
every  thing  about  them,  and  assured  by  the  Boers  that 
they  had  not  yet  done  with  Umzilikazi  and  his  people  ; 
in  doubt  if  their  own  lives  would  be  any  longer  safe ; 
they  packed  a  few  things  into  their  wagons,  where  also 
they  placed  some  of  their  own  number  who  had  not 
walked  for  months,  bid  adieu  to  their  station,  and  started 
on  a  journey  of  twelve  or  fifteen  hundred  miles  to  join 
their  brethren  of  the  maritime  mission  among  the 
Amazulu. 

Fearing  that  the  infuriated  Matebele  would  follow  them, 
neither  the  Boer  nor  the  missionary  made  any  halt  for 
twenty-three  hours.  Nor  did  the  sick  seem  to  suffer  from 
the  ride.  Such  a  journey,  however,  as  that  was  until  they 
judged  themselves  to  be  beyond  the  reach  of  Umzili- 
kazi's  vengeance,  and  especially  whilst  they  continued 
in  the  company  of  the  Boers,  and  so  within  the  sound 
of  the  thousands  of  bellowing  cattle  and  bleating  sheep, 
not  to  mention  the  noise,  and,  eventually,  the  strife, 
which  occurred  when  the  heterogeneous  army  came  to 
20  * 


234 


ZULU-LAND. 


divide  the  spoils,  peaceful  men  and  feeble  women  would 
not  wish  to  repeat. 

To  their  fear  of  being  followed  by  a  host  of  exaspe- 
rated savages,  to  the  unceasing  cry  of  cattle,  and  to  all 
the  tumult  of  an  irregular,  excited  soldiery,  add  the 
want  of  proper  food,  especially  for  the  sick ;  the  ab- 
sence of  a  road,  save  such  as  the  open  field  affords ;  the 
want  of  a  bridge  or  a  boat  on  the  now  swollen  streams ; 
the  want  of  a  dry  suit  for  the  women  and  children  who 
had  to  be  floated  across  the  Orange  on  a  bundle  of 
reeds,  keeping  only  head  and  shoulders  above  water ; 
then,  forthwith,  out  of  the  river,  add  a  night  of  Egyp- 
tian darkness,  through  all  the  hours  of  which  no  sleep  can 
be  had,  save  that  which  comes  in  spite  of  torrents  of  rain, 
thunder,  lightning,  and  all  the  noise  of  the  motley  group 
by  which  they  are  surrounded, — and  you  have  some 
idea  of  what  fell  to  the  lot  of  the  missionaries,  Lindley, 
Yenable,  Wilson,  and  their  families,  on  this  journey. 
From  this  place,  the  banks  of  the  Ky  Gariep,  a  few 
days'  travel  brought  them  to  the  station  of  a  Wesleyan 
missionary  at  Thaba  'Nchu,  where  they  were  kindly  re- 
ceived. After  resting  for  a  time,  they  passed  on  to 
Graham's  Town,  and  thence  over-land  to  Natal,  where 
they  arrived  the  last  of  July. 

Shortly  after  the  attack  which  Umzilikazi  had  now 
suffered  from  the  Boers,  on  the  south,  another  was  made 
upon  him  by  Dingan,  from  the  east.  Whether  the 
monarch  of  the  Zulus  had  heard  how  many  sheep  and 
oxen  had  just  now  come  into  the  hands  of  his  old  ac- 
quaintance, and  thought  he  ought  to  have  a  taste  of  the 
beef  and  mutton  on  the  score  of  some  old  outstanding  debt ; 
or  thought  it  all  the  safer  to  send  an  army  against  his 


THE  INLAND  MISSION. 


235 


troublesome  neighbour  just  when  he  was  suffering  from 
a  foray  from  the  other  side ;  does  not  appear.  At  all 
events,  Dingan  secured  some  of  the  sheep  ;  but  his  impi 
had  scarcely  returned  with  them,  when  the  Boers  came 
up,  on  the  other  side,  from  the  district  of  Natal,  and 
laid  claim  to  them.  Nor  were  the  flocks  long  in  finding 
their  way  back,  some  of  them  at  least,  in  this  manner,  to 
their  rightful  owners. 

Several  native  chiefs  and  tribes,  Sikonyela  of  the 
Mantatees,  Moroko,  and  Tuane  of  the  Barolongs,  with 
some  others,  having  been  treated  rather  roughly  by 
their  Matebele  neighbor,  were  now  ready  to  combine 
with  the  Boers,  whom  they  at  first  hailed  as  friends  and 
deliverers,  to  put  this  African  Attila  out  of  the  way. 
They  soon  discovered,  however,  that  in  entering  into 
this  arrangement,  they  had  only  "  caught  a  Tartar." 
They  found  to  their  grief,  as  they  said,  that  "  Umzili- 
kazi  was  cruel  to  his  enemies,  yet  kind  to  those  he  con- 
quered; while  the  Boers  destroyed  their  enemies,  and 
reduced  their  friends  to  slavery." 

Joined  by  these  native  allies,  it  was  only  a  few  months 
after  the  foray  at  Mosiga  ere  the  farmers  made  out  an- 
other expedition  to  go  and  hunt  "the  Lion"  again. 
But  it  would  seem  that  they  did  not  succeed,  this  time, 
in  finding  him.  Already  had  he  begun  to  look  out  a 
more  distant  lair.  Finding  himself  unable  to  grapple 
successfully  with  the  forces  which  were  likely  to  be 
brought  against  him,  should  he  keep  his  present  abode, 
he  permitted  his  Bahurutse  and  other  captives  to  return 
to  their  own  clans,  so  many,  at  least,  as  might  please 
to  do  so ;  while  he  and  his  tribe  turned  their  steps  to 
the  north.    In  this  direction  he  pushed  on  till  he  came, 


236 


ZULU-LAND. 


eventually,  to  the  region  of  the  famous  inland  waters, 
Lake  Ngami,  and  the  river  Zambesi,  where  his  fame, 
power,  and  dominion  are  now  said  to  be  great. 

His  old  friend,  the  Rev.  Robert  Moffat,  by  whom 
his  name  is  written,  Mosilikatze,  made  him  a  visit 
some  years  since,  at  his  great  capital,  Matlokotloko, 
in  latitude  about  20°  and  longitude  about  28°,  where 
he  remained  several  weeks,  and,  after  a  time,  prevailed 
upon  the  veteran  and  traveled  chief  to  allow  him  "  to 
preach  to  him  and  his  warriors  the  gospel  of  salvation." 
Since  that  time  the  London  Missionary  Society  has 
been  endeavoring  to  plant  a  few  mission  stations  among 
his  people.  It  is  understood,  however,  that  Umzilikazi 
has  given  the  missionaries  no  very  cordial  reception. 

The  lovely  and  fertile  valley  of  Mosiga  was  not  long 
in  becoming  the  abode  of  other  people  when  deserted 
by  the  Matebele.  After  the  troubles  between  Dingan 
and  the  Boers,  by  which  the  Rev.  Mr.  Owen,  of  the 
Church  Missionary  Society,  was  driven  from  Zulu-land, 
he  went  to  labor  for  the  new  settlers  in  that  distant 
vale.  But  for  some  cause  unknown  to  me,  he  returned 
to  England. 

In  the  "Missionary  Herald"  for  April  and  May, 
1853,  and  in  the  second  chapter  of  "  Livingstone's 
Travels,"  may  be  found  accounts  of  what  evils  the  cause 
of  Christian  missions  has  had  to  suffer  at  the  hands  of 
those  who  profess  to  be  subjects  of  civilization  and 
Christianity,  in  the  region  of  Mosiga,  since  the  events 
spoken  of  in  the  foregoing  pages, — how  the  Boers  plun- 
dered Mr.  Edwards'  house,  reduced  his  station,  Ma- 
botsa,  to  ashes,  and  compelled  both  him  and  Mr.  Inglis 
to  leave  the  country  of  the  Bakwains;  and  how,  also, 


THE  INLAND  MISSION. 


237 


they  went  thence  to  Kolobeng,  Dr.  Livingstone's  sta- 
tion, plundered  his  house,  destroyed  his  books  and 
medicines,  carried  off  his  furniture  and  clothes,  and 
took  two  hundred  native  school-children  captive,  in  the 
year  1852.  Both  of  these  stations  were  near  the 
memorable  Mosiga,  where  first  Lemure  and  Rolland,  then 
Lindley,  Yenable,  and  Wilson,  and  after  them  Owen, 
tried  to  plant  the  standard  of  the  cross ;  the  former, 
Mabotsa,  being  situated  only  a  few  miles  to  the  north- 
west of  this  place,  and  Kolobeng  a  little  farther  on  in 
the  same  inland  direction. 


238 


ZULU-LAND. 


CHAPTER  XYIII. 

EUROPEAN  MISSIONS  TO  ZULU-LAND  —  ENGLISH  WES- 
LEYAN,  NORWEGIAN,  BERLIN,  HANOVERIAN,  CHURCH 
OF  ENGLAND,  AND  ROMAN  CATHOLIC. 

Next  after  the  mission  of  the  American  Board,  the 
oldest  and  largest  is  that  of  the  English  Wesleyan 
Methodist  Society.  This  mission  labors  for  all  classes, 
colored  and  white,  heathen  or  otherwise,  combining,  in 
principle,  what  the  American  churches  have  in  the  two 
departments,  Home  and  Foreign.  Their  first  missionary, 
Mr.  Archbell,  who  received  his  appointment  to  this  field 
in  1841,  had  previously  labored  in  other  parts  of  South 
Africa.  He  was  followed  by  Mr.  Davis,  who  had  pre- 
viously labored  in  Kafraria,  and  Mr.  Richards.  In 
1849,  they  had  five  missionaries  in  the  field : — Mr.  Hol- 
den  at  Durban,  Mr.  Parkinson  at  Maritzburg,  Mr. 
Davis  at  Kwangubeni,  Mr.  Allison  at  Indaleni,  and 
Mr.  Jenkins  at  Palmerston,  among  Faku's  people,  in 
the  Mampondo  country.  The  number  of  their  church 
members  at  that  time  was  about  two  hundred ;  their  day 
school  teachers,  seven;  with  about  five  hundred  scholars. 
In  1852,  they  had  among  the  heathen  or  colored  popu- 
lation of  Natal,  a  hundred  and  fifty  communicants,  fifty 


EUROPEAN  MISSIONS. 


239 


catecliuniens,  four  day-schools,  and  three  hundred  scho- 
lars. 

Mr.  Allison  commenced  his  labors  in  1832,  in  the 
Griqua  country.  Three  years  after  that  he  was  sent  to 
establish  a  mission  among  the  Mantatees,  of  Basutuland, 
and  in  1844,  to  labor  among  the  Amaswazi  and  Ba- 
hurutse,  about  the  sources  of  the  Pongolo,  north-west 
of  the  Zulu  country.  Driven  thence  by  war  and  fa- 
mine, he  came  with  about  four  hundred  natives  to  Natal, 
with  whom,  in  1847,  he  settled  at  Indaleni,  on  the  Ilovu, 
twenty-five  miles  south  of  Maritzburg.  In  1851,  on 
account  of  differences  between  him  and  the  Wesleyan 
authorities,  he  separated  from  the  Society,  and  went 
with  a  large  portion  of  his  church  and  people,  four 
hundred  and  fifty  souls  in  all,  to  form  a  new  station  at 
Edendale,  six  or  seven  miles  west  of  Maritzburg. 
There  he  and  his  people  bought  a  farm  of  six  thousand 
acres,  and  in  1857,  the  population  of  the  place  amounted 
to  six  hundred  souls,  of  whom,  a  hundred  and  seventy 
were  church  members.  Many  of  the  houses  were  built 
after  a  civilized  fashion ;  the  people  owned  a  dozen 
wagons,  nearly  as  many  ploughs,  a  hundred  oxen,  and 
twenty  horses.  At  a  later  date  some  difficulty  having 
arisen  between  the  people  and  their  pastor,  the  latter 
withdrew  from  them,  and  made  the  station  over  again 
to  the  Wesleyan  Society. 

The  principal  stations  of  this  society,  at  the  present 
time,  are  Maritzburg,  Durban,  Palmerston,  Indaleni,  and 
Yerulam. 

What  is  called  the  "Natal  District"  of  Wesleyan 
missionary  operations  includes  the  Mampondo,  or  Faku's 
country,  with  the  Natal  Colony  ;  and  their  statistical 


240 


ZULU-LAND. 


reports  include  their  labors  among  the  white  or  civilized 
and  Christian  portion  of  the  population,  as  well  as  the 
colored  or  heathen. 

Thej  reported  in  1860,  within  the  Natal  Colony : — 
chapels,  16 ;  other  preaching  places,  40 ;  missionaries, 
6 ;  catechists,  &c.,  6  ;  day-school  teachers,  12  ;  Sab- 
bath-school teachers,  (unpaid),  94 ;  local  preachers,  39 ; 
full  and  accredited  church  members,  523 ;  on  trial  for 
membership,  77 ;  number  of  Sabbath-schools,  11 ;  Sabbath 
scholars  of  both  sexes,  894  ;  day  scholars,  437  ;  attend- 
ants on  public  worship,  including  members  and  scholars, 
4,200.  Beyond  the  colony.  Number  of  chapels,  1 ; 
other  preaching  places,  24;  missionaries,  2;  catechists, 
&c.,  3  ;  day-school  teachers,  1 ;  Sabbath-school  teach- 
ers, 8 ;  local  preachers,  8 ;  church  members,  149 ;  on 
trial  for  membership,  6 ;  Sabbath-schools,  1 ;  scholars 
of  both  sexes,  140 ;  day-schools,  1 ;  day  scholars,  140 ; 
occasional  and  regular  attendants  on  public  worship, 
6,000.  Other  laborers  of  the  society  have  lately  ar- 
rived from  England,  and  others  still  are  expected. 

The  Norwegian  Mission  was  commenced  by  Mr. 
Schreuder  in  Natal,  about  the  year  1845.  Some  of  the 
first  months  of  his  residence  here  were  passed  with  Dr. 
Adams  at  the  Umlazi  station.  When  I  reached  Natal, 
1847,  he  was  dividing  his  labors  between  two  places, — 
one  on  the  Umhloti,  a  little  above  Yerulam ;  and  one 
ontheUmtongati,  a  little  above  the  ford  and  Saunders' 
Sugar  Establishment.  Not  fully  satisfied  with  the  pros- 
pects of  this  field,  and  finding  the  king,  Umpande,  op- 
posed to  his  going  to  Zulu-land,  he  left  the  colony  in 
1847,  and  went  to  China,  seeking  another  field.  He 
returned,  however,  to  Natal  in  a  year  or  two,  and 


EUROPEAN  MISSIONS. 


241 


bvmght  a  large  farm  on  the  road  from  Durban  to  Maritz- 
burg,  with  a  view  of  devoting  it  to  missionary  purposes. 
But  the  land  was  not  such  as  the  natives  like,  and  few 
availed  themselves  of  the  offers  made  to  settle  upon  it 
and  come  under  instruction. 

In  1850,  selling  the  farm,  he  commenced  another 
station,  in  the  upper  part  of  the  Mapumulo  region, 
eight  miles  north-west  from  the  station  occupied  by 
Mr.  Abraham,  of  the  American  Board,  near  the  Inhlim- 
biti,  a  branch  of  the  Umvoti.  In  the  early  part  of  the 
same  year,  he  went  also  to  commence  operations  in  the 
Zulu  country,  having  received  an  invitation  from  Um- 
pande,  who  was  now  desirous  of  medical  aid,  to  settle 
there.  The  place  selected  for  his  abode  in  Zulu-land 
was  called  Echowe,  on  the  Umlalazi.  His  time  and 
labors  seem  to  have  been  divided  between  this  and  his 
old  station,  at  Mapumulo,  till  the  next  year,  when, 
being  strengthened  by  the  arrival  of  co-laborers,  Messrs. 
Larsen  and  Oftebro  were  put  in  charge  of  the  Natal 
station,  while  Messrs.  Schreuder  and  Udland  devoted 
themselves  to  the  Zulu  field. 

In  1854,  Mr.  Schreuder  commenced  a  new  station  at 
Entumeni,  among  the  sources  of  the  Matikulu,  twenty- 
five  miles  from  the  sea.  Mr.  Oftebro  has  now  a  station 
at  Empangeni,  a  branch  of  the  Umhlatusi. 

In  1855,  the  mission  consisted  of  seven  men, — of 
whom  only  Mr.  Schreuder,  was  ordained. 

The  Sabbath  audiences  at  the  several  Norwegian  sta- 
tions are  good  ;  and  their  work  prosperous.  They  have 
built  a  large  church  at  Mapumulo ;  at  which  place  they 
have  also  set  up  a  printing-press,  and  begun  to  furnish 
the  people  with  books  in  the  Zulu  language.  Mr. 
21 


242 


ZULU-LAND. 


Schreuder  wrote  a  Zulu  grammar  in  his  own  tongue, 
which  was  printed  in  1850,  at  Christiana, — eighty-eight 
pages,  octavo. 

The  society  which  supports  this  mission,  has  its  seat 
in  Stavenger,  on  the  Bukke  Fiord,  Norway.  I  think 
they  have,  as  yet,  only  one  mission, — this  in  Natal  and 
Zulu-land. 

The  Berlin  Mission  in  Natal  dates  from  the  year 
1847,  when  two  or  three  missionaries  of  that  society, 
of  whom  were  the  Eev.  Messrs.  Dohne  and  Posselt, 
driven  by  war  from  their  stations  among  the  Amatola 
Mountains  in  Kafirland,  came  over  the  Kwahlamba 
Mountains  and  commenced  operations  in  Natal.  Mr. 
Dohne,  after  laboring  for  a  time  among  the  Dutch, 
joined  the  American  Mission.  The  others  founded  two 
stations,  one  called  Emmaus,  by  the  Kwahlamba,  on  the 
sources  of  the  Tugela;  and  another,  called  New  Ger- 
many, near  Pine  Town,  a  dozen  miles  from  Durban. 
This  station  is  still  occupied  by  Mr.  Posselt,  who  now 
calls  it  Christianaburg.  The  place  is  small,  containing 
only  about  nine  hundred  acres  of  land.  The  mis- 
sionary's native  audience  on  the  Sabbath  numbers  about 
a  hundred,  of  whom  about  three-fourths  are  communi- 
cants. A  school-teacher  has  been  sent  out  to  aid  Mr. 
Posselt  at  this  place,  and  also  a  carpenter  and  a  black- 
smith. 

Emmaus  is  now  occupied  by  Mr.  Zunckel ;  the  Sab- 
bath audience  numbers  about  eighty,  of  whom  twenty- 
five  are  communicants.  Mr.  Guldenpfenning  has  a 
station  called  Middle  Place,  at  Blaauwkranz,  in  the 
upper  part  of  the  colony.  The  mission  has  also  one  or 
two  men  at  Stendal,  near  Weenen. 


EUKOPEAN  MISSIONS. 


243 


Being  reinforced  by  the  arrival  of  three  or  four  men, 
the  mission  sent  two  of  the  number  to  commence  a  sta- 
tion among  the  Amaswazi ;  but,  the  chief  and  his  tribe 
not  allowing  them  to  remain  in  his  country,  they  passed 
on  farther  north,  and  commenced  operations  at  Leden- 
berg,  in  the  upper  part  of  the  Trans  Yaal  Republic. 
The  Eerlin  Mission  now  numbers  four  stations  in  Natal, 
■with  five  or  six  missionaries,  and  a  hundred  or  more 
communicants. 

The  Hanoverian  Mission  had  its  origin,  under  Provi- 
dence, in  the  zeal  and  energy  of  the  pious  pastor  Harms 
and  his  charge,  at  Hermannsburg,  in  Hanover,  twelve 
or  more  years  ago.  Soon  after  Mr.  Harms  was  called 
to  minister  to  the  inhabitants  of  Hermannsburg,  the 
simple-hearted  peasants  and  villagers  were  moved  with 
strong  desires  to  extend  the  blessings  of  the  religion 
which  they  professed  to  those  who  were  dwelling  and 
dying  in  the  darkness  of  heathenism.  Accordingly 
their  teacher  and  guide  proposed  that  they  become  a 
missionary  society,  and  send  out  some  of  their  own 
number.  Twelve  came  forward  and  ofiered  their  ser- 
vices. Their  pastor  undertook  to  give  them  a  few 
years'  training  for  their  new  work,  and  to  provide,  also, 
the  means  for  sending  them  abroad  and  securing  their 
support.  While  this  class  was  yet  in  training  for  their 
future  labors,  it  was  enlarged  by  the  addition  of  a 
number  of  newly  converted  sailors  from  the  German 
fleet.  Several  peasants  also  expressed  a  wish  to  go  out 
as  settlers,  or  colonists.  In  this  way  a  new  element 
was  infused  into  the  scheme ;  emigrants,  or  colonists, 
being  now  associated  with  the  missionary.  "  Without 
these  sailors,"  said  Harms,  "we  should  never  have  been 


244 


ZULU-LAND. 


colonists ;  for  we,  honest,  but  somewhat  stupid  heath- 
people,  should  never  have  dreamt  of  sending  any  but 
real  missionaries."  During  the  preparatory  course, 
however,  these  sailors  withdrew,  one  after  another,  till 
only  two  were  left.  Being  at  a  loss  as  to  how  the  men 
should  get  to  the  new  field  of  labor,  one  of  the  sailors 
proposed  that  they  build  a  ship.  By  faith,  prayer,  and 
good  works  the  ship  was  built,  and  the  brave  pastor, 
with  some  hundreds  of  his  parishioners,  took  a  special 
train  to  Hamburg,  and  dedicated  the  "  Candace"  to  the 
work  of  carrying  the  gospel  to  the  Ethiopians.  Eight 
of  the  twelve  candidates  for  appointment  as  missionaries 
being  accepted,  together  with  eight  colonists,  on  the 
21st  of  October,  1853,  the  Candace  weighed  anchor 
and  spread  her  sails  for  Mombas,  via  the  Cape  and  Port 
Natal. 

Not  being  well  received  at  Mombas,  and  not  seeing 
any  prospect  of  an  opportunity  to  penetrate  inland,  the 
Imaum  being  opposed  to  the  white  man's  entering  that 
part  of  Africa,  their  plan  to  plant  a  mission  among  the 
Gallas  was  frustrated ;  and  the  Candace  put  back  to 
Natal,  where  she  had  called  on  her  way  up  the  coast 
some  months  before.  The  party  landed  here  on  the 
2d  of  August,  1854;  and,  on  the  19th  of  the  next 
month,  they  reached  the  seat  of  their  first,  their  central 
station,  which  they  call  Hermannsburg,  a  large  farm  of 
six  thousand  acres,  on  the  sources  of  the  Inhlimbiti, 
one  of  the  eastern  branches  of  the  Umvoti, 

In  1856,  they  were  reinforced  by  the  arrival  of  an- 
other company  of  colonists,  chiefly  young  farmers  and 
girls.  In  1857,  another  reinforcement  arrived,  about 
forty-six  in  number,  twelve  of  whom  were  missionaries ; 


EUROPEAN  MISSIONS. 


245 


and,  in  1860,  still  another,  numbering  twenty-nine,  of 
whom  four  were  missionaries  and  the  rest  colonists.  In 
1860,  their  mission  consisted  of  a  hundred  and  twenty 
souls,  eighty  of  whom  were  colonists,  and  the  rest  mis- 
sionaries, catechists,  or  teachers.  They  were  also  ex- 
pecting a  fresh  reinforcement. 

Among  the  colonists  they  can  reckon  men  of  almost 
every  kind  of  handcraft, — agriculturists,  carpenters, 
joiners,  wheelwrights,  shoemaker  and  tailor,  mason  and 
miller,  tanner  and  turner,  shepherd  and  dyer. 

Their  first  labor  at  Hermannsburg  was  to  build  one 
large,  or  rather  long  house,  a  hundred  and  thirty  feet 
in  length,  for  a  common  abode.  Through  the  centre, 
from  end  to  end,  runs  one  straight  passage,  on  either 
side  of  which  there  are  about  two  dozen  rooms,  with 
windows  looking  out  upon  the  verandah  by  which  the 
building  is  encompassed.  When  I  visited  them  in  May, 
1860,  this  dwelling  constituted  the  abode  of  thirteen 
families,  who  take  their  meals  all  at  one  table  in  one 
of  the  central  rooms.  Here,  too,  they  all  meet,  morn- 
ing and  evening,  for  family  worship.  At  a  little  dis- 
tance, less  than  half  a  mile,  there  was  another  company 
of  seven  families,  living  in  a  similar  manner,  in  one 
house.  I  was  assured  by  the  superintendent  and  his 
lady,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hardeland,  that  everything  goes 
on  in  the  most  orderly  and  harmonious  manner. 

The  Rev.  Mr.  Hardeland,  Doctor  of  Theology  and  of 
Philosophy,  was  formerly,  for  many  years,  a  missionary 
among  the  Dyaks  in  Borneo.  When  in  Germany,  a 
few  years  since,  he  was  invited  to  take  charge  of  Mr. 
Harms'  mission  in  Natal.  To  this  he  consented  on  con- 
dition that  Mr.  Harms  would  allow  the  mission  to  be 
21  * 


246 


ZULU-LAND. 


brought  in  some  measure  into  connection  with  the  Lu- 
theran church  of  Hanover ;  so  far  at  least  as  to  require 
that  church  to  examine  and  ordain  all  missionaries  who 
might  be  sent  by  the  Hanoverian  Society  to  this  field. 
To  this  Mr.  Harms  assented.  Mr.  Hardeland  arrived 
in  1859,  since  which  time  the  mission  has  been  subject 
to  his  oversight  and  direction. 

There  are  not  many  natives  living  either  on  the  mis- 
sion farm,  "Perseverance,"  as  they  call  it,  nor  indeed 
any  where  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  Hermannsburg ; 
but  the  mission  has  already  commenced  operations  in 
numerous  other  places.  Besides  their  parent  and  head 
station,  "Hermannsburg,"  they  have  one  at  Sterk  Spruit, 
Ehlanzeni ;  one  at  Etembeni  on  the  Impafana,  ten  or 
twelve  hours'  ride,  inland,  from  Hermannsburg ;  and 
another,  Muden,  six  or  seven  hours'  farther  riding,  in 
the  chief  Pakade's  region.  In  Zulu-land,  they  have  a 
station  on  the  Inyezani,  a  north-eastern  branch  of  the 
Matikulu ;  another  on  the  Umlalazi ;  and  another  at 
Landela,  near  the  Umkumbana,  a  branch  of  the  White 
Folosi.  These  stations  are  occupied.  Their  laborers  in 
Zulu-land,  number  twenty-seven.  They  have  also  three 
stations,  occupied  by  four  missionaries,  among  the  Be- 
chuana,  the  Bamangwato  in  the  Trans-Vaal,  and  Se- 
chele's  people,  where  Dr.  Livingstone  once  labored,  and 
not  far  from  Mosiga.  Sechele  and  the  Boers  having 
sent  a  united  request  to  Hermannsburg,  for  missionaries, 
these  stations  were  commenced,  and  much  success  seems 
to  attend  their  labors.  Their  schools  are  large  ;  the 
attendance  upon  the  services  of  the  Sabbath  good;  and 
many  have  been  baptized. 

At  Hermansburg  the  baptized  natives  live  in  cottages 


EUEOPEAN  MISSIONS. 


247 


arranged  in  a  row,  close  by  the  houses  and  shops  of  the 
Germans.  Until  Mr.  Hardeland  took  charge  of  the 
station,  these  natives  had  been  accustomed  to  receive 
much  aid  of  a  secular  kind  from  the  mission,  especially 
in  the  building  of  their  houses,  the  plowing  of  their 
land,  the  grinding  of  their  meal,  and  other  things  of  ? 
like  character. 

No  baptized  person  is  allowed  to  marry  a  heathen,  or 
one  who  has  not  been  baptized  ;  and  if  any  one  who  has 
been  baptized  leaves  the  station  and  church,  or  gives 
occasion  to  be  dismissed,  he  must  leave  his  children  in 
care  of  the  mission ;  that  being  one  of  the  conditions 
on  which  he  is  baptized  and  received  into  the  church. 

The  Church  of  England  Mission,  can  hardly  be  said 
to  have  had  a  beginning  in  Natal,  till  the  20th  of  May, 
1855,  at  which  time  Bishop  Colenso  arrived  in  the  co- 
lony, on  his  return  from  England ;  having  made  a  visit 
of  ten  weeks  in  the  early  part  of  the  preceding  year. 

Previous  to  this  movement  of  the  Church  of  England, 
Capt.  A.  F.  Gardiner,  of  the  Royal  Navy,  visited  Na- 
tal for  the  purpose  of  planting  a  mission.  He  reached 
the  district  in  1835,  a  little  before  the  arrival  of  the 
American  missionaries,  having  come  by  land,  along 
the  coast,  through  Kafraria.  Going  at  once  to  Din- 
gan  to  get  permission  to  commence  missionary  opera- 
tions in  the  Zulu  country,  he  succeeded  only  in  part; 
being  allowed  to  settle  in  Natal,  at  the  Bay.  About 
this  time,  Dingan  being  suspected  of  hostile  feelings 
towards  the  Europeans  at  Natal  for  harboring  people 
of  his,  who,  repudiating  their  chieftain's  authority  fled 
to  them  for  protection.  Captain  Gardiner  and  other 
white  men  at  the  Bay,  entered  into  a  treaty  with  the 


248 


ZVLU-LAND. 


Zulu  monarch,  not  only  not  to  receive  any  of  his  people 
who  might  flee  from  Zulu-land  to  seek  refuge  among 
them,  but  also  to  use  every  endeavor  to  secure  and  re- 
turn all  such  parties  to  the  king.  Nor  was  it  long  be- 
fore three  persons,  one  man  and  two  women,  were  thus 
sent  back ;  the  captain  going  with  them.  Notwith- 
standing his  entreaties,  the  bloody  despot  put  them  to 
death. 

The  enthusiastic  missionary  at  length  succeeded  in 
getting  Dingan  to  make  him  a  grant  of  all  Natal; 
whereupon  he  set  oif  for  England  to  have  the  act  ap- 
proved by  the  British  Government,  and  also  to  procure 
men  and  means  for  prosecuting  the  great  work  on  which 
his  heart  was  set  among  this  heathen  people.  Of  the 
former,  he  failed ;  in  the  latter,  he  succeeded,  in  part 
at  least, — returning  to  Natal  in  May,  1837,  accom- 
panied by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Owen  of  the  Church  Misssionary 
Society. 

The  captain  was  soon  involved  in  difficulty  with  the 
British  settlers  in  Natal;  as  they  repudiated  his  treaty 
to  deliver  up  refugees,  as  also  his  authority  over  them- 
selves. He  soon  took  final  leave  of  the  country  and 
returned  to  England.  He  afterwards  went  on  a  mis- 
sion to  the  Patagonians,  where  he  and  his  followers 
eventually  died  of  starvation. 

Mr.  Owen  was  allowed  to  take  up  his  residence  near 
Dingan's  Great  Kraal,  Umkungunhlovu,  where  he  com- 
menced his  labors,  October  10,  1837.  Here  he  re- 
mained till  the  following  February,  when  the  troubles 
between  Dingan  and  the  Boers  obliged  him  to  leave  his 
work.  On  his  return  from  England,  he  labored,  for  a 
time,  at  Mosiga. 


EUROPEAN  MISSIONS. 


249 


In  1850,  Bishop  Gray,  of  the  Cape,  regarding  Natal 
ds  a  part  of  his  diocese,  made  it  a  visit,  and  drew  up  a 
scheme  for  mission  work  by  the  Church  of  Enghind 
among  the  heathen.  Supposing  that  ten  locations  were 
to  be  formed  here  for  the  exclusive  use  of  the  natives, 
each  to  contain  ten  thousand  souls,  he  proposed  that  one 
or  more  institutions  be  founded  in  each  of  these,  to  con- 
vert the  heathen  to  the  faith  of  Christ,  to  educate  the 
young,  to  form  industrial  habits,  and  to  relieve  the  sick 
and  afflicted.  Each  institution  was  to  be  under  the  care 
of  a  clergyman,  who  should  be  aided  in  the  industrial 
and  educational  part  of  the  work  by  teachers.  In 
addition  to  the  ordinary  instruction  of  schools,  the 
pupils  were  to  be  taught,  the  males,  gardening,  farm- 
ing and  mechanical  arts, — the  females,  sewing,  cooking, 
washing,  &c.  Each  institution  was  to  exhibit  a  model 
farm  and  garden,  and  to  have  a  guarantee  of  aid  from 
government  to  the  amount  of  three  hundred  pounds 
sterling,  per  year,  so  long  as  such  aid  should  be 
needed.  The  whole  scheme  and  all  the  institutions 
were  to  be  under  the  direction  of  the  Bishop  of  the 
Diocese;  though  their  accounts  would  be  open  to  the 
inspection  of  the  government,  so  long  as  its  aid  should 
be  continued  ;  and  it  was  hoped  that  each  of  these  in- 
stitutions, the  cost  of  which  was  put  at  five  hundred 
pounds  per  annum,  would  be  self-supporting  in  five 
years  from  the  time  they  should  be  commenced.  The 
school  at  each  place  was  to  consist  of  fifty  Zulu  chil- 
dren, who  were  to  be  under  the  charge  of  four  mission- 
aries,— a  clergyman,  a  catechist,  a  mechanic,  and  a 
farmer — and  be  content  with  shelter,  food,  and  raiment. 

I  have  been  the  more  particular  to  give  the  substance 


250 


ZULU-LAND. 


of  Bishop  Gray's  plan,  because,  if  I  mistake  not.  Dr. 
Colenso  approved  and  took  it  as  his  own,  when  Natal 
became  a  separate  diocese,  and  he  became  its  bishop. 
Dr.  Colenso,  however,  thought  that,  instead  of  entering 
at  once  upon  the  formation  of  ten  stations,  it  would  be 
better  first  to  establish  one,  which  should  be  a  general 
centre  of  operations,  and  a  parent  and  model  for  others. 
This  was  accordingly  commenced,  on  his  return  from 
England,  about  the  middle  of  1855 ;  the  government 
having  granted  a  farm  of  six  thousand  acres  for  the 
purpose.  These  lands  are  situated  contiguous  to  an- 
other grant  of  two  thousand  five  hundred  acres,  an 
endowment  for  a  bishopric,  four  or  five  miles  north  of 
east  from  Maritzburg. 

I  think  the  bishop  has  found  it  more  difficult  than  he 
expected,  to  carry  all  parts  of  his  plan  into  successful 
operation ;  in  fact  that  much  can  scarcely  be  said  to  have 
been  as  yet  begun.  He  has  shown,  however,  no  lack  of 
resolution,  zeal,  and  perseverance  in  his  missionary 
work.  "  On  the  first  of  February,  1856,"  says  the 
Natal  Journal,  "nineteen  young  Kafir  children  were 
brought  by  their  friends  to  Ekukanyeni,  and  delivered 
formally  up  into  the  hands  of  the  bishop  for  education, 
by  the  chiefs,  Ngoza  and  Zatshuke.  At  the  instance 
of  Sir  George  Grey,  and,  indeed,  on  his  express  pro- 
mise, made  at  the  time  of  the  review  at  the  Table  Moun- 
tain, it  was  intended  originally  to  have  founded  a  sta- 
tian  among  Ngoza's  people,  in  the  neighborhood  of  his 
principal  kraal.  Upon  examination,  however,  it  was 
found  that  the  country,  in  which  this  station  would  have 
been  placed,  was  so  broken  and  precipitous,  and  utterly 
impracticable  for  agricultural  purposes,  that  the  idea 


EUROPEAN:  MISSIONS. 


251 


was  abandoned  in  favor  of  one,  wliich  would  eventually 
be  of  far  greater  importance,  both  to  Ngoza  himself, 
and  to  the  colony,  if  only  the  people  could  be  induced 
to  think  so — namely,  that  of  collecting  their  boys,  by  a 
voluntary  act  on  their  part,  for  separate,  continuous 
education,  apart  from  the  heathen  kraal.  Mr.  Shep- 
stone  determined  to  make  the  experiment,  and  sounded 
the  principal  men  upon  the  subject.  They  appeared 
convinced  by  his  arguments ;  and,  after  various  discus- 
sions and  debates  with  their  people,  Ngoza  and  Zatshuke 
announced  their  intention  to  accept  the  proposal  made 
to  them,  and  bring  their  own  children,  at  all  events, 
and,  they  hoped,  several  others,  to  the  station  at  Eku- 
kanyeni — '  for  (said  Ngoza)  I  should  like  to  be  the  last 
fool  of  my  race.'  At  that  time  it  was  necessary  to 
seize  the  opportunity,  and  make  the  most  of  it,  while 
the  hearts  of  the  people  were  this  way  inclined." 

In  a  little  more  than  a  year  from  this  time,  that  is, 
in  April,  1857,  the  number  of  children  had  increased 
to  thirty-three,  all  but  two  of  whom  were  sons  of  chiefs 
or  captains,  the  head  men  of  their  tribes. 

In  1860  the  boys'  school  numbered  thirty  or  thirty- 
five  scholars.  A  girls'  school,  with  twelve  or  fifteen 
pupils,  had  been  commenced.  The  number  of  baptized 
persons,  connected  with  this  station,  amounted  to  about 
two  dozen.  Half  a  dozen  native  houses,  of  an  upright 
or  civilized  fashion,  had  been  put  up ;  besides  which 
there  were  several  Kafir  huts  on  the  place,  some  of  the 
people  not  being  able  or  disposed  to  be  at  the  expense 
of  providing  better  habitations,  at  least  for  the  pre- 
sent. The  bishop  had  three  assistants,  and  a  native 
teacher. 


252 


ZULU-LAND. 


Being  at  Ekukanyeni — the  bishop's  station,  the  word 
signifying  in  the  light — in  June,  1858,  I  spent  an  hour 
or  two  in  his  school,  hearing  the  boys  read  in  Zulu  and 
in  English,  looking  at  their  penmanship,  at  their  draw- 
ings,— for  Mrs.  Colenso  gave  them  lessons  in  this  art, 
— at  their  exercises  and  answers  in  arithmetic  and  geog- 
raphy. All  was  highly  creditable  to  both  teacher  and 
pupil.  Dr.  Colenso's  labors,  aside  from  a  general  super- 
intendence of  the  stations,  seem  to  be  mainly  directed 
to  the  preparation  of  Zulu  books, — a  department  in 
which  he  has  done  much,  and  done  it  well;  and  in  which 
there  is  also  yet  much  to  be  done. 

Bishop  Colenso  has  half-a-dozen  other  stations  under 
his  care  in  different  parts  of  the  country.  At  Maritz- 
burg,  where  Dr.  Callaway  labored  for  several  years, 
they  have  a  large  stone  chapel,  or  native  church,  and  a 
printing  establishment.  Dr.  Callaway  at  a  later  period 
left  the  city  to  plant  a  station  on  the  Umkomazi,  where 
he  has  about  twenty  baptized  persons. 

The  Church  of  England  Mission  on  the  Umlazi  River, 
where  the  American  Mission  had  a  station  for  many 
years  under  the  care  of  Dr.  Adams,  was  commenced  by 
Mr.  Robertson,  in  1856.  In  1859,  leaving  the  station 
in  the  care  of  another,  he  went,  with  some  native  ad- 
herents, to  establish  a  station  in  Zulu-land,  at  a  place 
called  Magwaza,  or  Kwamagwaza,  on  some  of  the  higher 
branches  of  the  Umhlatusi,  between  that  and  the  Im- 
folosi, — a  place  which  Umpande  gave  the  bishop  for 
that  purpose.  The  mission  has  two  other  stations ;  one 
between  the  Ilovu  and  Umkomazi,  near  the  sea;  the 
other,  at  Ladysmith,  in  the  northern  part  of  the 
colony. 


EUROPEAN  MISSIONS. 


253 


Archdeacon  Mackenzie,  who  came  out  with  the  bishop 
in  1855,  devoted  a  part  of  his  time  to  mission  labor 
among  the  natives,  first  at  Durban,  and  afterwards  at 
the  Umhlali,  but  left,  about  1859,  for  England.  While 
Mr.  Mackenzie  was  in  England,  he  was  appointed  mis- 
sionary bishop  to  central  Africa,  where  Dr.  Livingstone 
is  laboring.  He  was  consecrated  at  Cape  Town  and 
gave  Natal  a  call,  as  he  passed,  in  1860,  on  his  way  to 
the  Zambesi. 

The  Roman  Catholic  Mission  among  the  natives  of 
Natal  is  not  large.  I  think  it  has  only  one  station,  and 
that  in  its  infancy.  It  is  situated  somewhere  in  the 
neighborhood  of  Dr.  Callaway's  station,  on  the  south- 
west side  of  the  Umkomazi,  and  forms  a  center  from 
which  the  Roman  Catholic  bishop.  Dr.  Allard,  and  two 
or  three  priests  are  making  some  efibrts  to  introduce 
their  faith  among  the  heathen. 

In  conclusion,  then,  so  far  as  I  can  learn,  excepting 
the  American  Zulu  Mission,  we  have  in  the  District  of 
Natal  and  on  its  immediate  borders,  about  thirty  mis- 
sionary stations,  and  seventy-five  men — ministers  and 
catechists — laboring,  either  entirely  or  in  part,  for  the 
welfare  of  the  heathen  natives.  If  we  include  the 
American  Mission,  we  have  upwards  of  forty  stations, 
of  which  about  thirty-five  are  in  the  colony ;  and  nearly 
ninety  men,  of  whom  seventy-five  are  in  the  Natal 
District. 

The  reader  will  observe  that  I  have  abstained  from 
all  criticism  or  discussion  upon  the  particular  policy, 
views,  or  doctrinal  tenets  of  the  several  missions  and 
men  whose  stations  and  labors  I  have  noticed.  I  have 
supposed  that  he  would  value  a  plain  narrative  of  facts 
22 


254 


ZULU-LAND. 


more  than  any  mere  fancy  sketch, — a  general  survey  of 
the  who!e  field  more  than  a  few  pleasing,  partial,  and 
isolated  incidents  from  the  labors  of  a  single  missionary. 

Nor  in  the  isles  of  Africa  alone 
Be  the  Redeemer's  cross  and  triumph  known  : 
Father  of  mercies!  speed  the  promised  hour; 
Thy  kingdom  come  with  all-restoring  power 
Peace,  virtue,  knowledge,  spread  from  pole  to  pole, 
As  round  the  world  the  ocean  waters  roll. 

MONTGOMEEY. 


GEOLOGICAL  FEATURES. 


255 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

THE  GEOLOGICAL  FEATURES  OF  NATAL. 

To  sit  on  rocks,  to  muse  o'er  flood  and  fell, 

Slowly  to  trace  the  forest's  shady  scene, 
Where  things  that  own  not  man's  dominion  dwell. 

And  mortal  foot  hath  ne'er  or  rarely  been  ; 
To  climb  the  trackless  mountain  all  unseen, 

"With  the  wild  flock  that  never  needs  a  fold ; 
Alone  o'er  steeps  and  foaming  falls  to  lean ; 

This  is  not  solitude ;  'tis  but  to  hold 

Converse  with  nature's  charms,  and  see  her  stores  unroll'd. 

Btrox. 

In  a  preceding  chapter,  the  face  of  the  country  in 
Natal  was  described  as  consisting  of  a  series  of  eleva- 
tions, rising  one  above  another  as  we  advance  from  the 
coast  to  its  inland  limit,  the  Kwahlamba  wall,  on  the 
west  and  north.  This  wall  or  range  is  usually  called  a 
mountain.  But,  save  a  place  here  and  there  where  it 
has  been  broken  down,  or  nibbled  off  by  the  tooth  of 
time,  instead  of  a  gradual  slope,  we  find  an  almost  per- 
pendicular ascent  of  fifteen  hundred  or  two  thousand 
feet.  And  when  we  reach  the  top,  instead  of  descending 
at  once,,  we  move  off  westward  upon  a  broad,  open 
plain,  and  then  enter  upon  a  gradual  slope,  which 
stretches  away  for  two  thousand  miles,  to  the  waters  of 
the  Atlantic,  before  it  gives  us  back  the  six  thousand 


256 


ZULU-LAND. 


feet  of  our  orient  elevation,  and  so  brings  us  to  the 
level  which  we  left  a  hundred  and  fifty  miles  to  the  east 
of  this  rocky  range. 

With  such  a  structure  it  will  be  supposed  that  Natal 
is  rich  and  interesting  in  its  geological  exhibitions. 
And  so  it  is.  Along  the  edge  of  each  terrace,  along 
the  sui'face  of  each  plain,  along  the  dark  recess  of  each 
ravine,  along  the  deep-worn  channels,  the  rapids  and 
falls  of  every  river,  along  the  steep  and  furrowed  sides, 
the  Kloofs  and  caverns  of  the  hills  and  mountains, 
or  wherever  the  student  of  the  "stony  science"  may 
please  to  wander,  he  finds  a  book  open — often  a  new 
and  curious  one — for  him  to  read.  All  of  its  pages 
we  may  not  stop  to  study,  but  some  of  '  them  are  so 
plain  that  he  who  runs  may  read.  Nor  will  his  pro- 
gress in  knowledge  speed  the  worse  if  he  sometimes 
ride. 

Mount,  then,  your  horse,  and  take  half  an  hour's 
gallop  up  the  gentle  slope  that  lies  to  the  west  of  my 
station.  From  the  large  herds  of  fat  cattle,  through 
which  we  pass,  you  will  infer  that  these  elevated  plains, 
with  their  comparatively  short,  fine  grass,  make  the 
best  of  pasture-lands  ;  while  the  utter  absence  of  human 
habitations  and  gardens  indicates,  with  equal  truth,  that 
the  cold  and  shallow  soil  is  little  fit  for  cultivation. 
Now,  then,  here  we  are  at  the  edge  of  the  open  plain 
over  which  we  have  been  riding.  At  our  feet — our 
faces  still  to  the  west — we  have  an  almost  perpendicular 
descent  of  some  hundreds  of  feet  down  to  the  floor  of 
the  beautiful  valley  before  us, — all  filled,  as  it  is,  with 
hillocks,  rounded  ridges,  truncated  cones,  tabular  moun- 
tains ;  among  which  scores  of  rivulets  are  winding  their 


GEOLOGICAL  FEATURES. 


257 


way  to  form  the  brooks  that  fill  the  rivers,  the  Umhloti 
on  our  left,  the  Umtongati  on  our  right,  which  have  their 
fountain-heads  partly  here,  partly  on  the  distant  table- 
land, and  flow  on  either  hand  to  the  sea. 

These  truncated  cones,  tabular  hills,  of  which  we 
have  several  of  gigantic  proportions,  in  the  valley  be- 
fore us ;  being  all  of  the  same  height  as  the  plain  on 
which  we  stand,  and  the  same  also  as  the  broad  pla- 
teaus beyond  the  valley,  whether  we  turn  our  eye  to  the 
Noodsberg  on  the  north  or  to  the  Inanda  table  on  the 
west ;  being,  moreover,  all  composed  of  the  same  ma- 
terial,— the  base  of  granite  and  the  summit  of  sand- 
stone,— are,  doubtless,  so  many  substantial  proofs,  that 
the  surface  of  the  whole  region  was  once  an  unbroken 
level ;  the  valley  that  now  is,  being  the  product  of 
aqueous  and  other  agencies  which  have  wrought  the  ex- 
cavations at  some  later  period.* 

Looking  at  these  mountains,  two  things  will  attract 
your  attention — the  horizontality  of  the  tabular  surface, 
and  the  great  perpendicularity  of  their  sides,  especially 
that  upper  portion  of  the  sides  which  consists  of  sand- 
stone. And  as  every  year  is  doing  something  to  di- 
minish the  circumference,  taking  off  a  slice,  a  slide,  here 
and  there,  at  every  annual  deluge  of  rain,  coming  ages 
will  find  these  tabular  summits  of  sand-stone  disappear- 
ing one  after  another  ;  and  the  flat-topped  mountain 
reduced  to  a  round-topped  hillock,  a  copy  of  which  we 
now  behold  in  other  parts  of  the  valley. 

During  the  great  deluging  rain  of  1856,  all  the  re- 

*  The  illustration  represents  Table  Mountains  as  seen  from  the  Itafa- 
masi  station.    In  the  foreground  is  a  native  kraal  or  village,  as  described 
in  Chapter  Ninth. 
22  * 


258 


ZULU-LAND. 


servoirs  and  crevices  of  the  mountains  being  filled  and 
pressed  with  water,  their  sides  soaked  and  softened, 
here  and  there  a  broad,  deep  avalanche  of  earth  and 
rock,  mud  and  water,  extending,  in  some  instances, 
from  the  summit  to  the  very  base,  was  sent  thundering 
down  with  fearful  fury  into  the  valley  below.  Some- 
thing of  the  kind,  though  not  on  the  largest  scale,  oc- 
curred at  the  time  of  which  I  now  speak,  in  sight 
of  my  window.  These  grand,  startling  phenomena 
are  witnessed  more  frequently  by  the  natives  than  by 
us ;  since  they  more  frequently  set  their  habitations 
under  the  brow  of  some  towering  elevation,  just  where 
events  of  this  kind  are  most  likely  to  happen.  Such  a 
case  occurred  at  Inanda,  not  far  from  the  old  station 
occupied  by  the  Rev.  Daniel  Lindley.  The  heavens 
had  been  pouring  down  torrents  of  rain  for  two  or  three 
days,  till  the  side  of  the  mountain,  and,  probably,  some 
great,  internal  cistern  had  been  surcharged.  The  people 
who  had  built  on  a  hillock  over  against  the  place,  hear- 
ing a  hoarse,  heavy  sound,  on  turning  their  eye  to  the 
side  of  the  mountain  whence  it  seemed  to  proceed,  saw 
the  trees  rocking  to  and  fro ;  the  very  surface  and  body 
of  the  declivity  meantime  swelling  and  rising.  And 
now,  in  a  moment,  the  accumulated  waters,  bursting 
forth,  bore  a  mighty  mass  of  rock  and  rubbish  down  to 
the  base  of  the  mountain.  Here  the  rushing  torrent 
of  earth,  rock,  and  river,  from  out  the  side  of  the  moun- 
tain, was  swollen  by  the  rising  floods  of  another  stream. 
Huge  rocks,  and  other  marks  of  the  outbreak  such  as 
ages  can  hardly  be  expected  to  efface,  are  now  lying 
scattered  all  along  up  and  down  the  once  smooth  and 
grassy  vale  through  which  they  were  poured.  So 


GEOLOGICAL  FEATURES. 


259 


change.d  was  the  whole  region,  that,  on  passing  that 
way  shortly  after  this  event,  I  could  scarcely  believe  it 
to  be  the  same. 

In  addition  to  the  rain,  there  is  the  tropical  heat,  and 
the  earthquake,  (of  which  we  have  had  one  since  I  be- 
gan the  writing  of  this  chapter,  and  two  the  day  before,) 
helping  and  hasting  to  reduce  these  upright,  square- 
built  mountains  to  the  hemispherical  hill. 

To  return  to  our  stand  on  the  edge  of  an  elevated 
plateau, — if  we  now  look  out  a  place  where  we  can  de- 
scend into  the  valley,  and  examine  the  rocks  which  lie 
at  the  base  of  the  tabular  mountains,  and  form  the  sub- 
soil of  the  rounded  hills,  we  shall  find  them  to  consist 
chiefly  of  granite.  In  some  places  we  have  the  pure 
rock  cropping  out,  or  lying  in  a  separate,  solid  mass 
upon  the  surface.  But  the  more  common  form  and 
state  of  that  which  comes  to  the  eye  is  a  kind  of  reddish 
detrital,  abounding  in  quartz ;  most  of  the  feldspathic 
and  micaceous  ingredients  having  been  washed  away. 

At  Esidumbini,  not  far  from  Mr.  Tyler's  station, 
there  is  a  remarkably  large  slab  of  granite,  perched 
upon  a  ledge  and  two  pillars,  by  the  side  of  which  stands 
a  lofty  column,  a  kind  of  spike,  or  cone ;  all  of  the  same 
material.  This  slab  is  about  twenty  feet  thick,  ninety 
wide,  and  a  hundred  and  thirty  in  length ;  and,  resting 
as  it  does,  upon  another  ledge  at  one  end,  and  again 
upon  two  huge  pillars,  or  props,  towards  the  other  end, 
with  still  another  ledge  and  the  conical  spike  on  one 
side,  all  that  is  wanting  is  to  wall  up  the  other  two 
sides,  leaving  a  door  and  two  or  three  windows,  to  have 
a  large  hall,  the  height  of  whose  ceiling  would  be  about 
ten  feet  at  one  end,  and  twenty  or  thirty  at  the  other ; 


260 


ZULU-LAND. 


V 


the  height  of  t  :e  contiguous  shaft  being  nearly  a  hun- 
dred. A  thicket  of  bushes,  shutting  in  the  unwalled 
side,  gives  it  the  appearance  of  a  cavern,  and  makes  it 
easy  to  believe  that  it  used  to  be  a  place  of  refuge, 
whither  men,  women  and  children  were  wont  to  fly  and 
hide  themselves  from  the  bloody  hands  of  Chaka's 
marauding  forces. 

A  farther  account  of  the  geological  features  of  that 
part  of  the  district  to  which,  in  imagination,  I  have 
taken  you;  some  notice  of  the  geology  of  the  whole 
colony  ;  together  with  a  little  pleasant  speculation  as  to 
how  all  these  things  came  about,  and  what  is  yet  to 
come  of,  upon,  or  in  place  of  them  in  the  future,  are 
given  in  the  following  instructive  extracts  which  I  make 
from  the  '''Natal  Journal,''  for  October,  1858. 

"  The  Table  Mountain  of  Maritzburg,  is  of  identical 
composition  with  the  Table  Mountain  of  the  Cape  of 
Good  Hope.  Its  top  is  a  few  hundred  feet  lower  than 
that  of  the  giant  of  Table  Bay,  but  it  rises  from  a  plain 
already  elevated  above  the  sea,  instead  of  starting  from 
the  sea  level.  Its  lower  slopes  are  verdant  declivities, 
inclined  at  an  angle  which  can  be  easily  climbed,  with 
buttresses  and  props  thrown  out  upon  the  declivities  in 
various  directions ;  but  two  or  three  hundred  feet  from 
the  top,  the  slope  is  converted  into  a  perpendicular  wall 
of  bare  reddish  gray  rock,  which  is  ridged  vertically 
with  projecting  angular  pillars  and  furrows.  The  broad 
base  of  the  mountain  is  formed  of  solid  granite  or  gneiss ; 
the  summit  is  a  tabular  mass  of  coarse  sandstone, 
washed  and  weather-worn  upon  its  perpendicular  edges 
and  sides.  This  sandstone  is  entirely  without  trace  of 
organic  remains,  and  therefore  obviously  belongs  to  a 


QEOLOGI'.AL  FEATURES. 


261 


very  old  period.  The  old  sandstone  Table  Mountains 
are  found  extensively  scattered  through  the  district  of 
Southern  Africa.  They  are  obviously  remnants  of  a 
vast  sandstone  plateau  which  has  been  shattered  by 
earthquake  force,  fragments  of  the  sandstone-bed  hav- 
ing been  left  here  and  there  perched  in  their  original 
horizontality  upon  the  tops  of  the  protuberant  masses 
of  crystalline  granite  or  syenite,  which  have  heaved 
them  up  into  their  present  position. 

"In  some  places  the  primeval  shattering  has  originally 
left  narrow  fissures,  which  have  been  subsequently 
carved  out  and  widened  by  continuous  water  flow.  In 
other  places  the  sandstone  fragments  have  been  torn 
asunder  to  vast  intervals,  and  the  intervening  chasms 
t  have  been  scattered  with  debris,  and  subsequently 
broken  up  again  by  irruptions  of  trap,  which  have  burst 
forth  and  rolled  over  in  huge  plastic  masses,  until  fixed 
in  the  form  of  the  smaller  and  younger  hills.  The  lop- 
sided mounds  standing  within  the  Inanda  wilderness, 
between  the  tabular  mountains, — the  fixed  billows  of 
that  wonderful  rocky  sea, — are  all  of  them  gneiss,  with 
little  bonnets  of  coarse  sandstone  just  tipping  their  sum- 
mits ;  they  are  all  children  of  the  same  parentage, — re- 
sults of  the  same  mighty  outburst  which  shattered  the 
sandstone  pavement  of  the  olden  time,  and  which  reared 
those  tables  of  the  South  African  Titans. 

"  The  Table  Mountain  of  Maritzburg  is  a  regular 
quadrangular  block  of  nearly  equal  sides,  with  winged 
buttresses  running  out  from  each  of  the  angles,  and  with 
a  level  pasture-clothed  top  of  about  four  square  miles. 
It  can  only  be  climbed  in  one  place,  where  a  deep  green 
slope  leads  up  to  a  craggy  staircase  eroded  in  the  face 


262 


ZULU-LAND. 


of  the  precipice.  Its  summit  presents  tlie  curious  spec- 
tacle of  a  fine  pasture-farm  of  between  two  and  three 
thousand  acres,  isolated  from  the  rest  of  the  world  by 
bodily  upheaval.  In  one  spot  a  stream  of  crystal  water 
breaks  out  from  a  small  bared  ledge  of  the  sandstone, 
and  trickles  into  a  shallow  basin,  whence  it  flows  as  a 
streamlet  over  the  edge  of  the  mountain  to  the  lower 
slopes.  This  mountain  pasture  is  retained  in  the  hands 
of  the  government,  but  horses  and  cattle  are  allowed  to 
be  driven  upon  it  to  feed.  As  the  visitor  canters  along 
upon  its  level  sward,  he  is  all  at  once  pulled  up  by  find- 
ing the  land  fail  him  in  front  beneath  his  feet,  Beyond 
a  gentle  slope  of  a  short  distance,  there  comes  the  edge 
of  a  precipice,  and  then  there  opens  out,  many  hundreds 
of  feet  below  him,  the  gigantic  mounds,  and  the  valleys 
and  chasms  of  the  Inanda  wilderness,  the  nearer  objects 
clothed  with  hues  of  green  and  brown,  and  the  distant 
hills  tinted  with  soft  violet-purple,  and  almost  vanish- 
ing into  clouds. 

"  At  times  the  entire  atmosphere  is  so  transparent 
and  clear,  that  every  rocky  inequality  stands  revealed 
mile  after  mile,  with  a  distinctness  that  entirely  pre- 
vents any  adequate  notion  being  formed  of  the  vastness 
of  the  scene.  From  the  north-west  angle  of  the  sum- 
mit, the  Umgeni  is  observed  coming  down  from  the  up- 
land valleys,  and  sweeping  up  almost  to  the  base  of  the 
mountain,  then  wriggling  off*  to  the  east  through  the 
wide  and  deep  valley  which  here  breaks  as  a  sort  of 
gap  into  the  Inanda  basin.  Many  hundred  feet  be- 
neath, the  silver  stream  is  caught  by  the  eye,  winding 
and  bending  upon  itself  in  so  many  successive  folds, 
that  it  is  quite  impossible  to  say  which  way  it  is  going 


GEOLOGICAL  FEATURES. 


203 


in  any  one  particular  contortion  of  the  inextricable 
knot,  foliage-covered  declivities  running  down  to  its 
banks,  and  squeezing  and  pressing  its  course  between 
tbeir  points  in  every  possible  way.  Even  before  climb- 
ing the  mountain,  and  while  still  at  its  apparent  base, 
the  observer  stands  at  the  top  of  a  steep  precipitous 
wall,  whence  he  can  look  down  into  the  ravine  of  the 
Umgeni — so  profound  is  this  valley  chasm — hundreds 
of  yards  below. 

"  The  land  of  the  colony  of  Natal  is  entirely  com- 
posed of  granite,  gneiss,  trap,  sandstones,  and  sh^ile. 
Of  the  sandstones  there  are  two  kinds,  the  old  coarse 
sandstone,  which  forms  the  summits  of  the  true  table- 
mountains,  and  which  is  evidently  analogous  to  the  Si- 
lurian rocks  in  age,  and  a  much  finer-grained  sandstone 
which  is  associated  with  carboniferous  strata,  and  con- 
tains impressions  of  vegetable  remains  imbedded  in  its 
layers.  The  hills  immediately  round  Maritzburg  are 
composed  of  this  newer  sandstone,  mingled  with  trap. 
These  sandstones  are  chiefly  formed  of  layers  of  con- 
solidated sand,  alternating  with  shale ;  and  there  are 
beds  of  an  imperfect  kind  of  coal  deposited  here  and 
there  between.  The  trap  itself  is  obviously  of  different 
ages.  Some  is  closely  associated  with  the  granite  and 
old  Silurian  sandstone ;  some  is  palpably  newer  than  the 
younger  sandstone,  and  cuts  through  it  and  the  shale  in 
dykes,  and  then  overlies  the  rocks  it  has  penetrated  in 
vast  rounded  beds.  The  older  trap  occurs  in  enormous 
masses,  and  probably  has  played  scarcely  an  inferior 
part  to  the  granite  itself  in  the  work  of  disruption  and 
upheaval.  It  is  nearly  always  found  resting  upon  Silu- 
rian sandstone  on  one  side,  and  with  shale  flanking  it 


264 


ZULU-LAND. 


on  the  other.  It  may  generally  be  distinguished,  too, 
by  its  amy gdaloidal  form,  having  small  rounded  fragments 
of  the  more  ancient  rocks  imbedded  in  oval  pits  in  its 
substance,  very  much  as  almonds  are  imbedded  in  paste. 

"  The  shale  is  sometimes  gray,  and  sometimes  red, 
and  is  fissured  and  laminated.  The  more  recent  traps, 
which  form  dykes  through  the  carboniferous  sandstone, 
are  never  of  amygdaloidal  form,  but  they  vary  consi- 
derably in  compactness,  in  different  places.  In  conse- 
quence of  this  unequal  degree  of  compactness,  fragments 
of  these  rocks  are  often  cut  completely  off  from  the 
mass  by  the  influence  of  the  wind  and  rain,  and  of 
coursing  water.  In  some  situations,  enormous  bare 
boulders  of  trap  are  scattered  over  the  face  of  the 
country  for  miles  so  thickly  that  the  horse  can  but  just 
pick  a  pathway  among  them.  The  bed  of  every  water- 
course is  encumbered  with  them,  and  wherever  the  fall 
is  great,  is  converted  by  them  into  a  craggy  staircase, 
along  which,  in  the  dry  season,  the  Kafir  path  and 
horse  route  passes  in  a  very  surprising  way. 

"  In  almost  all  parts  of  the  colony  these  several  kinds 
of  rocks  are  mingled  together  in  the  most  irregular 
manner,  as  if  they  had  been  stirred  and  tumbled  to- 
gether again  and  again,  and  then  been  allowed  to  find 
their  own  resting-place  as  each  best  could.  Along  the 
sea  coast  there  are  spots  whose  granite  ribs  jut  com- 
pletely out  into  the  waves  ;  at  other  places  there  are 
terraced  shores  of  sandstone ;  and  at  others  there  are 
mighty  rocks  of  trap  protruding  their  bare  black  heads 
and  oyster-covered  shoulders,  in  the  midst  of  the  lashing 
surf,  carved  and  eroded  by  the  surge  into  the  most  gro- 
tesque forms  and  shapes. 


GEOLOGICAL  FEATURES. 


265 


"  The  granite  hills  inland  are  generally  broad,  low, 
and  smoothlj-rounded  protrusions.  The  gneiss  gene- 
rally takes  the  form  of  more  abrupt  tuberculated  pro- 
minences. The  trap  often  rises  into  bold  truncated 
cones,  as  in  the  Zwartkop  Mountain  to  the  west  of 
Maritzburg.  There  are  places  in  which  the  violence  of 
the  force  that  was  exerted  in  producing  the  present  con- 
tour and  condition  of  the  land,  is  indicated  by  laminated 
or  stratified  beds  of  rock,  having  been  carried  down 
five  or  six  hundred  feet  lower  than  the  masses  with 
which  they  were  continuous  before  they  were  fissured 
by  the  disruptive  heave.  Towards  the  north-east  boun- 
dary of  the  colony,  the  pure  crystalline  granite  is  mainly 
in  the  ascendant ; — the  bed  of  the  lower  Tugela  is 
carved  out  in  the  solid  granite  rock.  Towards  the 
north-west  boundary  the  trap  takes  its  turn.  The 
broad  plain  intervening  between  the  top  of  Maritzburg 
hills  and  the  Drakensberg  is  principally  composed  of 
trap  in  various  forms  of  condensation.  There  are 
square  tabular  elevations  upon  this  plain — a  kind  of 
ps  ^udo-table  mountains.  These  are  all  moulded  en- 
tirely of  trap,  and  may  be  at  once  distinguished  by  the 
eye  from  the  true  sandstone-slabbed  table-mountains,  not- 
withstanding their  general  resemblance.  The  Drakens- 
berg ledge  itself  is  trap,  and  beyond  the  Drakensberg, 
on  the  yet  higher  terrace,  there  are  still  trappean  tables 
reared,  like  those  upon  the  lower  plain.  The  Nelson's- 
Kop  and  Rensburg's-Kop,  hills  beyond  the  Drakens- 
berg, are  of  this  character. 

"  If,  after  a  run  through  the  picturesque  ravines,  and 
over  the  undulating  plains  of  Natal,  the  observer  were 
to  sit  himself  quietly  down  upon  some  fragments  of 
23 


266 


zulu-la:;d. 


rock,  and  looking  back  into  remote  regions  of  past 
time  with  closed  eyes,  were  to  endeavor  to  realize  for 
himself  some  of  the  physical  vicissitudes  through  which 
this  young  colony  and  all  South  African  land  has  had 
to  pass  before  it  was  spread  out  in  its  present  condition 
and  fitness  for  the  exercise  of  Anglo-Saxon  enterprise 
and  industry,  he  would  have  presented  before  him  some 
few  very  clear  scenes.  He  would  see  the  great  deserts 
of  bare  primeval  adamant,  wide  spread  and  crystalline 
from  the  gradual  way  in  which  it  had  cooled  into 
stone  after  it  had  been  passed  through  the  fire  of  the 
reverberatory  furnace  where  the  material  of  the  world's 
foundations  are  annealed  and  forged. 

"  He  would  see  this  primeval  desert  submerged  be- 
neath the  waves  of  a  sea-deluge,  to  be  pavemented  with 
sandstone,  cut  and  ground  from  the  crystals  of  its  own 
substance,  and  compacted  by  cement  powdered  from  the 
attrition  of  its  own  softer  ingredients,  and  hardened 
under  the  force  of  subsequent  pressure.  Then  he  would 
see  this  submarine  pavement  shattered  by  an  earth- 
quake, bursting  from  the  hidden  depths  of  the  gk  be, 
and  here  bearing  fragmentary  slabs  of  the  pavement 
up  as  mountain-traps,  and  there  scattering  them  upon 
the  declivities  and  at  the  bottoms  of  the  cracks  ;  the 
soft  and  pasty  adamant  heaving  and  squeezing,  this 
way  and  that,  under  the  throes,  as  it  performed  the  me- 
chanical tasks  of  upheaval,  and  then  again  hardening 
and  crystallizing  into  granite  and  syenite.  Next  there 
comes  a  vision  of  a  rain  pouring  down  in  all  the  abun- 
dance of  the  tropical  storm,  and  of  water  coursing 
through  the  fissures  and  cracks,  and  leaping  in  torrents 
from  ledge  to  ledge,  cutting  along  their  sides,  and  weav- 


GEOLOGICAL  FEATURES. 


267 


mg  them  into  continuous  systems  of  winding  and  branch- 
ing valleys,  and  making  foaming  rivers  in  the  depths. 

"  Then,  after  long  ages  of  the  wearing  tyranny  of 
water  and  of  wind,  there  is  earthquake  again,  and  old 
mountains  plunged  down  into  the  abysses  of  the  ground, 
and  new  mountains  of  old  rock  reared  into  the  air,  and 
chimney  fissures  opened  out  in  the  progress  of  the  con- 
vulsion, through  which,  plastic  rock,  a  veritable  molten 
lava,  wells  up,  bringing  with  it  involved  fragments  of 
infusible  minerals  from  below,  and  smoothing  over  with 
its  pasty  mass  the  sharp  bends  and  breakings  of  the 
tortured  granite  and  sandstone,  here  sliding  down  the 
granite  declivities  in  thick-spreading  waves,  and  then 
rolling  over  in  viscid  lumps,  and  fixing,  almost  as  it 
rolls,  into  the  amygdaloidal  hills.  The  rain  falls,  and 
the  tempest  beats  on  the  sides  of  these  lava-hills,  and 
the  thick  mud  runs  down  with  the  descending  water, 
and  settles  wherever  it  finds  a  resting-place,  and  when 
it  has  been  again  covered  up,  after  subsequent  shatter- 
ings,  and  by  subsequent  eruptions  of  molten  rock,  it 
dries  and  hardens  into  stone,  and  cracks  into  laminae 
and  blocks  as  it  shrinks  in  the  drying.  So  is  formed 
the  shale  which  now  fringes  on  one  side  the  trap-rocks 
of  to-day,  as  they  recline  upon,  and  are  buttressed  by, 
the  hoary  granite,  and  the  unfossiliferous  sandstone  on 
the  other. 

"  In  some  confined  basins,  hollowed  out  or  moulded 
at  the  junction  of  the  sandstone  and  trap,  torrents 
sweep  down  the  prevailing  sandstone-slopes  laden  with 
Band.  Then  the  inclination  of  the  flanking  rocks  is 
changed,  and  the  torrents  run  upon  the  trap,  and  bear 
contributions  of  mud,  to  be  spread  over  the  sand. 


268 


ZULU-LAND. 


Then  a  moist  ravine,  which  had  become  green  with  the 
old  world  leaves  in  the  old  world  sunshine,  is  visited  by 
the  deluge,  and  cleared  of  its  growth,  and  the  swept- 
away  fragments  are  bedded  on  the  mud.  Then,  again, 
there  comes  mud,  and  again  sand,  and  again  vegetable 
remains.  So  the  carboniferous  sandstones  and  shale 
are  built,  and  so  hollow  after  hollow  is  filled  in  with  its 
appropriate  pabulum,  and  so  'rough  places  are  made 
plain.'  The  ground  then  again  heaves  and  cracks,  and 
rises  and  falls,  and  the  molten  lava  oozes  from  below 
to  condense  into  trap,  or  to  crystallize  into  a  new  birth 
of  granite,  and  the  rivers  and  the  torrents  again  enter 
upon  their  rasping  and  denuding  labors. 

"It  is  pleasant,  from  such  an  old-world  reverie  as 
this,  to  awake,  and  to  open  one's  eyes  upon  the  new 
and  more  stable  state  of  things,  where  the  green  cane 
of  the  sugar  is  already  waving  on  the  sides  of  the  es- 
tuaries in  almost  impenetrable  thickets,  where  the  ba- 
nana is  clustering  like  a  gorgeous  plumage,  bent  with 
its  load  of  purple  and  white  flowers,  and  rich  panicles 
of  fruit,  and  where  experimental  specks  of  the  settled 
land  are  already  pink  with  the  blossoms  of  the  indigo, 
or  white  with  the  seed-beards  of  the  cotton,  or  glossy 
with  the  lily-like  foliage  of  the  arrow-root,  or  shrubbed 
with  the  elliptical  leaves  of  the  coffee ;  and  then,  to 
close  them  again^  and  dream  of  the  time  when  the 
bright  promise  of  the  present  day  shall  have  been  ful- 
filled— when  the  open  pastures  have  become  hedged  into 
fields — when  the  russet  slopes  are  ridged  and  blackened 
by  the  fertilizing  plough,  rather  than  by  devastating 
fire — when  the  roads  have  shod  themselves  with  iron  to 
carry  to  the  port  the  surplus  produce  wrung  from  the 


% 


GEOLOGICAL  FEATURES. 


269 


ground  by  a  thriving  and  crowded  community — and 
when  the  harbor  of  Durban  has  permanently  opened 
its  arms  to  vessels  of  heavy  burthen,  kept  busily  at 
work  in  wafting  in  wealth  in  exchange  for  the  super- 
fluity carried  away." 

Nor,  to  make  the  picture  complete,  must  we  leave  the 
moral  aspects  and  interests  of  the  land  out  of  view. 
To  a  thoughtful,  observing  mind,  what  can  be  more 
obvious  than  to  see  that  all  this  fair  land,  the  whole 
earth,  indeed,  in  which  we  dwell,  was  fitted  up,  origi- 
nally, for  a  higher,  better  order  of  life  than  that  which 
the  multitude  are  now  leading — a  place,  indeed,  where 
man  may  prepare  to  dwell  with  the  King  of  kings  in 
the  blissful  Paradise  of  the  heavenly  world  ?  Hence, 
the  assurance  that  there  shall  be  ''a  highway" — *^the 
way  of  holiness,"  whereby  the  ransomed  of  the  Lord 
shall  return,  and  come  to  Zion  with  songs  and  ever- 
lasting joy  upon  their  heads.  The  valley  shall  be  ex- 
alted, the  mountain  and  hill  made  low,  the  crooked 
made  straight,  and  the  rough  places  plain.  The  igno- 
rant must  be  enlightened,  the  vicious  reclaimed,  the 
lost  recovered.  All  commerce,  therefore,  and  enter- 
prise, all  inventions,  improvements,  and  changes,  which 
do  not  aim,  or  tend  to  culminate  in  the  moral  elevation 
and  welfare  of  the  race,  are  imperfect,  out  of  tune, 
transient.  Wanting  in  unison  with  the  mind  of  Him 
who  seeth  the  end  from  the  beginning,  and  doeth  all 
things  ^'  according  to  the  counsel  of  his  will,"  they  are 
doomed  to  pass  away  and  give  place  to  better,  higher, 
holier  things. 
23  * 


270 


ZULU-LAND. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

BOTANICAL  PRODUCTIONS. 

Bear  me,  Pomona  !  to  thy  citron-groyes ; 
To  where  the  lemon  and  the  piercing  lime, 
With  the  deep  orange,  glowing  through  the  green, 
Their  lighter  glories  blend.  *         *  * 

«-  *  *  *  *  *  •« 

From  these  the  prospect  varies.  Plains  immense 

Lie  stretch'd  below,  interminable  meads. 

And  vast  savannas,  where  the  wandering  eye^ 

Unfix'd,  is  in  a  verdant  ocean  lost. 

Another  Flora  there,  of  bolder  hues, 

And  richer  sweets,  beyond  our  garden's  pride, 

Plays  o'er  the  fields,  and  showers  with  sudden  hand 

Exuberant  spring ;  for  oft  these  valleys  shift 

Their  green-embroider'd  robe  to  fiery  brown. 

And  swift  to  green  again,  as  scorching  suns. 

Or  streaming  dews  and  torrent  rains,  prevail.  Thomson. 

The  Botany  of  Natal  is  not  less  peculiar,  interesting, 
and  instructive  than  its  geology.  Lying,  as  the  coun- 
try does,  on  the  border  of  tropical  regions,  and  rising 
rapidly  from  the  sea  to  the  Kwahlamba, — nearly  six 
thousand  feet  in  the  course  of  a  hundred  miles, — it  is 
not  strange  that  this  land  should  give  us  a  large  variety 
of  tropical  plants  along  the  coast,  and  show  itself 
equally  suited  to  most  of  the  productions  of  the  tempe- 
rate zone  in  its  higher  portions. 


BOTANICAL  PRODUCTIONS. 


271 


My  mission  home,  of  Umsunduzi,  lies  about  fifteen 
miles  from  the  sea,  and  twice  that  distance  north  from 
the  Port  of  Natal.  Here,  a  grove  of  orange  trees  in 
front  of  my  study,  half  of  them  laden  with  the  now 
green,  but  soon-to-be  golden  fruit ;  an  avenue  in  front 
of  our  dwelling,  shaded  by  the  syringa,  or  skirted  by 
lemon  trees  in  full  bearing;  a  garden  of  bananas  on  the 
one  hand,  and  a  garden  of  pine-apples  on  the  other,  with, 
here  and  there,  a  lime-tree,  and  pomegranate,  all  prove 
that  we  are  near  enough  to  the  tropical  region  to  avail 
ourselves  of  its  more  important  advantages.  The  ap- 
ple-tree, however,  and  others  of  a  like  character,  which 
require  a  real  winter  in  which  to  husband  their  strength, 
come  to  nothing  so  near  the  coast,  though  said  to  thrive 
in  some  parts  of  the  upland.  Sugar-cane,  cotton,  ar- 
row-root, sweet  potatoes,  are  all  easily  grown  along  the 
coast ;  wheat  is  grown  in  the  upper  districts ;  maize,  or 
"mealies"  as  most  of  the  colonists  call  it,  the  Irish  or 
round  potato,  oats,  pease  and  beans,  tomatoes  and 
pumpkins,  beets,  carrots,  and  cabbages  seem  ready  to 
grow  wherever  any  one  is  willing  to  take  pains  to  plant 
and  protect  them. 

Among  the  plants  which  may  be  called  indigenous,  I 
think  we  must  reckon  the  banana.  I  have  found  it 
growing  in  the  rankest,  wildest  way  among  the  rocks 
and  rivulets  of  most  inaccessible  mountains, — in  kloofs 
and  ravines  the  farthest  possible  from  all  arable  land, 
or  any  place  that  could  ever  have  been  sought  out  and 
occupied  or  planted  by  a  foreigner  in  other  ages.  The 
natives  call  it  the  king' s  food,  from  the  fact  that  their 
rulers,  Chaka  and  others,  used  to  require  the  people  to 
take  all  the  fruit  to  them ;  and  made  it  death  for  any 


272 


ZULU-:.AND. 


one  to  taste  it  without  their  permission.  A  plant  of 
this  kind,  twenty  feet  high,  with  leaves  two  feet  broad 
and  eight  or  ten  feet  long,  and  a  cluster  of  fruit  weigh- 
ing thirty  or  forty  pounds — as  much  as  a  man  cares  to 
lug  up  to  the  house,  is  not  uncommon  in  Natal. 

Around  us  we  have  several  species  of  the  fig-tree. 
That  which  best  deserves  the  name  is  called  by  the  na- 
tives, Umkiwane.  A  tree  of  this  sort,  which  sprang  up 
on  the  border  of  our  garden,  a  few  years  ago,  is  now  fif- 
teen feet  high,  and  six  inches  in  diameter ;  not  half- 
grown,  yet  laden  with  fruit.  And  this  is  the  second 
time  it  has  borne  the  present  year.  The  body  of  the 
tree,  from  about  eight  feet  and  upwards,  as  well  as 
all  the  thicker  parts  of  the  branches  are  covered  and 
quite  hidden  by  the  bunches  of  fruit  and  the  leafless 
twigs  on  which  these  bunches  hang.  Sometimes  we  find 
a  single  fig  surmounting  a  stem  an  inch  long,  the  stem 
itself  standing  out  from  the  tree,  as  stiff  and  stubby  as 
a  nail  in  a  post.  More  generally,  however,  the  stem 
resembles  a  twig  from  six  to  eighteen  inches  in  length 
with  fruit  hanging  at  random  on  all  sides.  But  the  fig 
itself,  of  a  dark  brown,  spotted  color,  the  size  of  a 
peach,  is  worth  more,  to  me  at  least,  as  an  object  of 
sight  than  as  an  article  of  food ;  though,  dry,  and  insipid 
as  it  is,  the  natives  do  not  dislike  it. 

Another  species  of  the  fig-tree,  more  famous  for  its 
great  size,  dark,  rich  foliage,  and  ever-green  appear- 
ance, than  for  its  fruit,  is  evidently  related  to  the  Ban- 
yan of  India.  It  is  easily  propagated ;  and  its  growth 
is  rapid.  Ten  years  ago,  those  about  my  house — inter- 
spersed with  the  syringa  and  lemon,  which  skirt  our 
avenues — were  so  many  stakes,  two  or  three  inches 


BOTANICAL  PRODUCTIONS, 


273 


tliick,  and  six  or  seven  feet  in  length,  just  stuck  in  the 
ground,  without  root  or  branch.  Now  some  of  them  are 
twelve  or  fifteen  inches  thick,  and  not  less  than  twenty- 
five  or  thirty  feet  high.  The  bark  when  punctured 
yields  a  tenacious,  milky  juice.  But  the  most  notable 
fact  about  this  tree  is  the  manner  in  which  it  is  some- 
times found  '^married"  to  another.  A  bird,  which  is 
fond  of  its  cherry-like  fruit,  drops  a  seed  in  the  fork  of 
a  distant  tree.  This  germinates  and  sends  out  nume- 
rous parasitic,  absorbent  roots,  which  traverse  the  trunk, 
to  and  fro,  in  a  downward  direction,  till  they  reach  the 
ground ;  while  ascending  shoots  develop  into  a  stem, 
which  becomes  a  new  tree.  The  net-work  of  little  wiry 
roots  soon  develops  into  a  smooth  body,  and  goes  on  to 
increase  in  size  and  stature,  till  the  original  tree,  peep- 
ing out  at  the  side,  or  perchance  from  the  top  of  the 
compressing  encasement,  is  eventually  compelled  to  as- 
sume for  itself  the  appearance  of  a  parasite,  and  finally 
to  succumb,  root  and  branch,  to  the  overpowering  exotic 
intruder.  When  this  tree — Fieus  Africana— the  Um- 
tomhe  of  the  natives,  is  found  embracing  the  Umsinsiy 
a  species  of  Erythrina,  so  long  as  the  latter  is  allowed 
to  live,  the  large  clusters  of  beautiful  scarlet  flowers 
with  which  its  branches  are  covered  in  early  spring  ere 
it  unfolds  its  own  leaf-buds,  having  the  dark  green  fo- 
liage of  the  fig  for  a  back-ground,  present  a  picture  of 
floral  beauty  of  no  ordinary  splendor.  The  seeds  of  the 
Ums'insi,  or  "Kafir-boom"  as  the  Dutch  call  it,  grow 
in  pods,  and  look  like  so  many  small  scarlet  peas. 

Of  the  mimosa  we  have  in  Natal  a  great  vari- 
ety. Many  of  them  yield  a  gum,  like  that  called 
"Arabic."    The  bark  possesses  the  tanning  property. 


274 


ZULU-LAND. 


The  most  useful,  if  not  the  most  common,  is  the  spring 
mimosa,  or  thorn-tree,  which  makes  good  firewood. 
Its  size  and  shape,  at  a  little  distance,  remind  one  of 
the  apple  tree  ;  but  woe  to  the  garments  of  the  man 
who  walks  or  rides  too  near  its  branches.  Its  blos- 
som is  beautiful  and  fragrant.  To  the  mimosa  tribe 
belongs  the  flat-crown,  as  it  is  called, — a  kind  of  Acacia, 
whose  little  leaflets  always  fold  themselves  to  sleep 
when  night  comes  on.  To  it  also  belong  a  good  number 
of  the  sensitive  plants,  whose  leaves  close  quickly  on 
the  slightest  touch. 

Large  and  tall  trees,  such  as  America  would  think 
worth  the  name,  certainly  in  any  number,  I  have  never 
seen  in  Natal ;  though  there  are  places,  especially  in 
the  kloofs  or  ravines  of  the  upland  regions,  where  trees 
of  a  proper  size  and  quality  for  boards  and  beams,  may 
be  found.  Among  them,  the  most  important  are  the 
yellow  wood,  which  is  a  kind  of  yew  {Taxus  elongata); 
stink-wood,  a  species  of  laurel  {Laurus  hullata) ;  and 
another  which  goes  by  the  name  of  sneeze-wood,  being 
yclept  thus  by  the  Boers,  because  of  an  irritating  dust 
which  it  gives  off  when  worked.  Trunks  of  this  tree 
are  sometimes  found  four  feet  thick  and  eighty  feet  long. 
Nor  is  the  colony  wanting  in  iron-wood,  called  by  the 
natives  umsimhiti ;  and  used  by  them  for  making  pick 
handles,  clubs  and  canes. 

The  mangrove  (red)  grows  on  the  borders  and  islands 
of  the  bay,  and  about  the  mouth  of  the  Umkomazi, — a 
very  hard,  durable  wood,  and  much  sought  after  by  the 
colonists  for  building  and  other  purposes.  Then  there 
is  the  assegai  or  lance-wood,  of  which  the  natives  make 
the  shafts,  or  handles,  of  their  spears  ;  the  milk-wood, 


BOTANICAL  PRODUCTIONS. 


275 


of  which  wagon-axles  are  often  made  ;  the  tamboti,  used 
for  gun  stocks,  and  axles ;  the  African  mahogany,  or 
hard,  red-ivory  wood ;  and  other  kinds,  of  like  grain. 
The  wood  of  very  many  of  the  shrubs  and  trees  of 
Natal  is  exceedingly  hard  and  tough ;  though  there  is 
no  want  of  that  which  is  soft,  brittle,  and  porous.  If 
the  trees  are,  for  the  most  part,  neither  large,  nume- 
rous, nor  very  straight,  yet  the  evergreen  appearance 
which  they  exhibit ;  the  rich  and  varied  gloss  of  the 
leaf,  in  which  they  excel ;  together  with  the  bright  and 
beautiful  flowers  which  very  many  of  them  put  forth, 
make  them  useful  for  shade  and  beauty. 

Perchance,  however,  the  reader  begins  to  inquire, — 
"  Are  we  not  lingering  too  long  with  the  larger  trees  ?" 
Then  let  us  take  a  look  at  the  smaller  plants, — at  a  few 
of  the  flowers  and  grasses,  the  euphorbias,  the  wild  ba- 
nana, ferns  and  palms,  and  whatever  else  of  botanical 
beauty  or  novelty  may  lie  in  the  zigzag  line  of  our 
ramble.  Nor  can  you  go  out  for  an  hour,  any  month 
in  the  whole  year,  at  least  in  the  coast  region,  without 
finding  here  and  there  a  wild  flower,  most  likely  a  pro- 
fusion of  them,  on  every  side.  In  September  and 
October,  the  spring  of  our  African  year,  I  have  often 
traversed  the  open  fields  where  the  ground  was  almost 
covered  with  flowers, — so  thickly,  indeed,  that  scarce  a 
step  could  be  taken  without  treading  some  of  them  under 
foot.  Nor  would  these  be  of  one  kind  or  color  ;  but  of 
every  color,  and  of  varieties  as  yet  past  all  attempts  to 
number. 

As  the  grass  becomes  dry  in  winter,  being  neither 
cut  for  hay,  nor  al]  consumed  by  the  cattle,  it  is  gene- 
rally burnt  ofi"  once  a  year.    Now,  as  the  author  of  an 


276 


ZULU-LAND. 


article  on  the  "  Botanical  aspect  of  Natal,"  wliicli  ap- 
peared in  the  ''Natal  JournaV  for  October,  1858,  has 
well  observed  : — "  The  earliest  tint  of  greenness,  when 
the  young  grass  begins  to  peep  through  the  burnt  stub- 
ble, blends  itself  so  intimately  and  harmoniously  with 
the  sable  hue  of  the  charred  stalks,  as  to  impress  upon 
the  eye  the  sense  of  a  surface  of  the  richest  dark  green 
velvet.  In  the  month  of  September  the  ground  is  green 
again  within  ten  days  of  the  burning  of  the  grass. 
Then  come  flowers,  small  and  large,  in  infinite  variety, 
amongst  which,  plants  of  the  lily,  the  amaryllis,  and 
the  iris  tribes  are  the  most  conspicuous.  The  bulbs  are 
first  seen  projecting  their  opening  tufts  of  leaves  from 
the  bare  ground  ;  next  the  flower  stalk  rises  from  the 
midst,  and  soon  crowns  itself  with  a  cluster  of  magnifi- 
cent bright-hued  flowers.  Even  before  the  grass  begins 
to  sprout  the  aloe  projects  its  spike  of  orange  or  red 
flowerets  above  its  pointed  and  serrated  chevaux  de  frise 
of  leaves.  Then  there  are  three  species  of  cyrtanthus, 
a  genus  of  amaryllids  bearing  blossoms  of  indescribable 
beauty ;  it  is  one  of  these  which  is  known  to  the  Dutch 
as  the  *  fire-lily,'  and  so  far  as  the  brightness  of  its  color 
is  concerned,  it  well  deserves  its  name.  The  scarlet 
flowers  of  these  plants  hang  down  in  clusters  round  the 
summit  of  the  otherwise  bare  peduncles,  those  of  the 
'  fire-lily'  being,  at  the  first  careless  glance,  not  unlike  to 
the  blossoms  of  the  large  flowered  scarlet  fuchsia,  de- 
prived of  the  inner  corollal  leaves. 

"Another  of  these  amaryllids  bears  a  large,  almost 
spherical,  but  rather  ragged-looking  bunch  of  dark  pink, 
or  claret-colored  flowers,  fringed  externally  with  white 
stamens,  and  possessing  an  overpowering  honey-suckle 


BOTANICAL  PRODUCTIONS. 


277 


Bcent.  Yet  another  (A  Hcemanthus)  looks  like  an  enor- 
mous sunflower,  but  the  head  is  formed  of  a  multitude 
of  stalked  blossoms,  surrounded  by  an  involucre,  and 
crowning  a  single  thick  peduncle,  the  flowers  being 
profusely  powdered  with  coarse  safiron-colored  pollen, 
to  which  the  natives  attribute,  and  probably  upon  suf- 
ficient ground,  a  power  of  causing  sore  eyes  when  the 
flowers  are  smelt. 

The  actually  moist  places,  and  the  immediate  banks 
of  the  running  streams,  are  brilliantly  gay  at  this  sea- 
son with  the  blossoms  of  the  so-called  ^Natal-lily' 
[Amaryllis  Belladonna)^  undoubtedly  the  queen,  as  well 
as  the  'beautiful  lady,'  of  the  bulbous  tribes.  The 
flowers  of  this  pseudo-lily  are  large,  white,  and  pink- 
ribbed  bells,  hung  in  all  directions  round  the  summit  of 
the  flower-stalk,  often  in  very  remarkable  profusion ; 
the  stalk  rises  from  a  sheathing  tuft  of  broad  fleshy 
leaves,  to  a  height  of  about  three  feet. 

"  The  Amaryllids  really  seem  to  have  fixed  upon  South 
Africa  as  the  headquarters  of  their  clan.  They  are  found 
upon  its  hill-sides  and  slopes  in  so  rich  an  abundance, 
and  in  such  a  countless  diversity.  They  are  nearly  all 
'  lilies'  in  common  language,  on  account  of  the  lily-like 
character  of  the  fiower,  having,  in  common  with  the 
lilies,  large  bell-like  corollas  with  six  stamens.  The 
two  tribes  may,  however,  be  readily  distinguished  from 
each  other  at  a  glance,  because,  in  the  amaryllis,  the 
three-celled  ovary,  or  young  fruit,  is  visible  to  the  eye 
beneath  the  bright  petals ;  while,  in  the  true  lilies,  the 
three-celled  ovary  is  concealed  within  the  bright  petals. 
In  the  amaryllid  the  fiower-leaves  grow  from  the  sum- 
mit of  the  ovary ;  in  the  lily  they  grow  from  the  base 
24 


278 


ZULU-LAND. 


of  the  ovary.  This  is  not  by  any  means  an  unimport- 
ant distinction,  because  the  lilies  are  altogether  harm- 
less plants,  while  a  virulent  acrid  poison  lurks  in  the 
juice  of  most  of  the  amaryllids. 

"  A  hgemanthus  of  South  Africa  is  known  among  the 
Dutch  settlers  under  the  designation  of  the  ^poison 
plant.'  The  poison  employed  by  some  of  the  native 
tribes  of  South  Africa  for  rendering  the  arrows  deadly 
is  taken  from  this  amaryllid.  It  is  a  piece  of  botanical 
lore  quite  worth  having  in  South  Africa,  that  any  suc- 
culent bulbous  plant,  with  bell-shaped  flowers,  possess- 
ing six  stamens,  and  growing  from  the  top  of  the 
ovary,  may  be  at  once  put  down  as  an  object  to  be 
looked  at  and  admired  rather  than  to  be  meddled  w'th 
or  brought  into  more  intimate  relations. 

"  The  gladiolus,  a  member  of  the  iris  family,  makes  a 
very  distinguished  appearance  among  these  bulbous  at- 
tendants of  the  spring  grass,  one  species  being  pecu- 
liarly beautiful  on  account  of  its  large  one-sided  spikes 
of  bright  party-colored  orange  and  yellow  blossoms. 

"  The  pride  of  the  irids,  however,  unquestionably 
concentrates  in  another  genus  of  Natalian  plants  {ixia), 
which  accompany  the  young  grass  everywhere,  and 
which  are  without  parallel  for  graceful  elegance,  seem- 
ing as  if  they  had  caught  the  delicate  habits  of  their 
companions,  without,  in  consequence,  abandoning  the 
privilege  of  wearing  gaily-colored  corolla!  garments. 
Their  flowers  are  pink  and  lavender-hued  bells,  sus- 
pended from  long  pendulous  hair-like  foot-stalks,  some- 
thing after  the  manner  of  the  English  hare-bell.  The 
bright  blossoms  issue  from  dry  membranaceous  bracts, 
which  are  persistent  after  the  flowers  have  withered. 


BOTANICAL  PRODUCTIONS. 


279 


Before  the  buds  open  out,  the  spikes  of  imbricated  mem- 
branaceous bracts  exactly  simulate  the  appearance  of 
the  fructification  of  a  true  grass,  and  after  the  flowering, 
the  flower-stalks  stiffen  and  erect  themselves,  and,  with 
their  dried  spikes,  again  put  on  the  gramineal  aspect. 

"  These  Ixias,  indeed,  look  exactly  as  if  some  of  the 
elegant  pendulous  w^ood-grasses  of  England  were  suffer- 
ing from  an  eruption  of  flowers  at  the  ends  of  their 
spikes ;  the  resemblance  is  so  complete,  that  these 
plants  are  spoken  of  as  ^  flowering  grasses'  by  casual 
observers.  There  are  several  species  of  them  scattered 
about.  One  of  the  species  which  grows  in  great  abun- 
dance on  the  top  of  the  Table  Mountain,  attains  to  a 
height  of  three  feet,  and  has  comparatively  large  and 
magnificent  flowers.  Among  the  pseudo-grasses  of  the 
early  spring,  there  is  a  peculiarly  delicate  sedge,  or 
carex,  which  adds  greatly  to  the  adornment  of  the 
pasture,  in  consequence  of  the  spikelets  of  its  digitate 
or  fingered  panicles  being  flat-pressed  and  purple-lined 
where  one  floret  is  joined  to,  or  imbricated  upon,  its 
neighbor. 

There  is  also  a  great  number  of  species  of  this  flat- 
flowered  sedge,  some  of  small  dimensions,  and  others 
having  flower-bunches  of  a  considerable  size.  A  very 
curious  exogenous  flower  appears  with  the  bulbous  blos- 
soms on  the  upland  pasture;  it  has  a  large,  solanaceous- 
looking  (petunia-like)  white  flower,  with,  however,  only 
four  lobes  and  four  stamens  to  its  thin  crumpled,  mono- 
petalous  corolla,  which  covers  itself  with  black  lines 
and  patches  as  it  withers,  till  the  whole  becomes  of  an 
inky  hue,  whence  the  plant  which  bears  it  has  acquired 
the  appellation  of  the  '  ink  plant.'    Large  spaces  of  the 


280 


ZULU-LAND. 


pasture  are  often  white  from  the  dense  masses  of  these 
flowers.  At  a  late  period  of  the  season  the  red  papilio- 
naceous blossoms  of  the  indigo  appear  upon  these  up- 
land pastures." 

Ye  field-flowers  !  the  gardens  eclipse  you,  'tis  true, 
Yet,  wildings  of  nature,  I  doat  upon  you, 
For  ye  waft  me  to  summers  of  old. 
When  the  earth  teem'd  around  me  with  fairy  delight. 
And  when  daisies  and  buttercups  gladden'd  my  sight. 

Like  treasures  of  silver  and  gold.  Campbell. 

Among  the  more  striking  botanical  productions  of 
Natal,  or  those  which  are  likely  to  attract  the  attention 
of  a  new-comer,  must  be  reckoned  the  tall,  stiff,  succu- 
lent-stemmed Euphorbias,  that  grow  about  the  Berea, 
and  along  the  road  from  Durban  to  the  Umgeni,  as,  in- 
deed, in  many  other  parts  of  the  coast  districts.  As 
you  look  at  their  leafless,  spiny,  angular  or  channeled, 
club-like  limbs,  shooting  up  forty  or  fifty  feet  into  the 
air,  your  first  thought  is,  What  a  splendid  cactus  !  We 
meet  with  the  plant  in  almost  every  variety  of  size  and 
shape,  from  the  above  gigantic  dimensions  down  to  the 
size  and  length  of  the  little  finger.  It  differs,  how^ever, 
from  the  cactus  in  yielding  a  most  acrid  milky  juice, 
when  punctured;  and  in  respect  to  its  spines,  also,  when 
it  has  any,  those  of  the  Euphorbia  not  growing,  like 
those  of  the  cactus,  in  tufts,  or  clusters.  The  candela- 
bra spurge,  which  looks  so  much  like  the  old-fashioned 
candlestick  from  which  it  takes  its  name,  is  found  along 
the  rocky  banks  that  overlook  the  Umgeni,  Umhloti, 
and  other  large  rivers.  Stripped  of  the  bark  and 
roasted,  the  central  pith  affords  an  amount  and  quality 
of  food  which  a  starving  man,  like  the  German  botanist 


BOTANICAL  PRODUCTIONS. 


281 


Krauss  wandering  and  lost  on  the  plains  of  tlie  Karroo, 
is  glad  to  get. 

The  castor-oil  plant  [ricinus),  or  "Palma  Christi,"  as 
some  of  the  older  botanists  used  to  call  it  on  account 
of  its  elegant  lobate  leaves,  may  be  found  in  half  the 
old  deserted  kraals,  or  in  the  rich  yet  neglected  gardens 
of  the  land.  It  belongs  to  the  same  tribe  as  the  Eu- 
phorbia. Nor  are  the  natives  ignorant  of  the  medicinal 
or  poisonous  qualities  of  the  oil  which  its  seeds  afford. 
They  sometimes  use  it  as  an  ointment  for  sores,  some- 
times give  it  to  sick  calves  as  a  medicine,  and  sometimes 
to  wolves  and  tigers  as  a  poison.  But  to  beguile  a  wild 
animal  into  taking  enough  of  it  to  destroy  life  is,  I 
fancy,  not  very  easy ;  though  the  natives  say  it  used  to 
be  done  when  they  could  not  as  now  get  something 
better  from  the  white  man. 

Among  the  many,  very  many,  kinds  of  fern  which 
thrive  here,  there  are  two  or  three  which  deserve  a  pass- 
ing notice.  The  male  fern  (Filix  mas)  is  known  among 
the  Amazulu,  as  it  has  been  among  Europeans,  both 
ancient  and  modern,  as  a  remedy  for  the  tape  worm. 
The  natives  call  it  Inkomanhoma.  It  abounds  in  all  the 
region  round  about  us.  And  growing,  as  it  often  does, 
in  the  deserted  hole  of  the  ant-eater,  or  jackal,  which 
its  leaves  fill  and  hide  from  view,  you  will  take  care  not 
to  ride  over  it,  lest  your  horse  fall  and  throw  you  over 
his  head.  Lastrea  athamantica  is  the  more  recent  sci- 
entific name  of  this  plant. 

There  is  also  a  peculiar  and  splendid  climbing  fern. 
The  stem,  about  half  an  inch  in  diameter,  running 
straight  up  the  trunk  of  a  tree  to  the  height  of  forty  or 
fifty  feet,  adheres  so  closely  to  the  bark  as  to  require 
24  * 


282 


•ZULU-LAND. 


some  effort  to  pull  it  off.  At  every  foot  or  two,  it 
throws  out  a  beautiful,  glossy,  plume-like  leaf,  or  frond, 
five  or  six  feet  long.  These  fronds,  unequally  pinnate, 
have  twenty  or  more  pairs  of  smooth,  alternating  leaf- 
lets, all  lanceolate,  serrated,  and  measuring  from  six  to 
twelve  inches  in  length.  I  have  never  seen  anything 
of  the  kind  before ;  neither  do  I  see  it  noted  in  the 
enumeration  of  South  African  Ferns  in  the  ''Cape 
Monthly  Magazine"  for  1857;  though  the  "enumera- 
tion" includes  a  hundred  and  sixty  species,  very  many 
of  which,  in  fact  nearly  all,  may  be  found  in  Natal. 

Here,  too,  we  have  the  beautiful  "  tree  fern."  There 
are  several  specimens  of  it  to  be  found  in  this  neighbor- 
hood, chiefly  on  the  banks  or  borders  of  the  rivulets. 
One  of  these  odd-looking,  arborescent  plants  (cyatlipa 
arhorea)  grows  not  far  from  my  house,  which  has  a  stem 
ten  feet  high,  and  about  as  many  inches  in  diameter ; 
erect,  cylindrical,  surmounted  by  a  tuft  of  about  thirty 
elegant  lance-shaped,  bipinnate  fronds,  six  or  seven  feot 
in  length.  The  leaflets,  of  which  there  are  about  twenty 
pairs,  alternating  along  the  almost-round,  tapering  leaf- 
stalk, are  pinnatifid,  lance-shaped,  and  often  measure 
nearly  a  foot  in  length. 

Nor  must  I  omit  to  mention  a  species  of  palm  that 
grows  along  the  coast,  here  and  there,  from  the  Umvoti 
to  the  Umzimkulu ;  though,  so  far  as  I  know,  it  is  only 
in  the  Southern  part  of  the  colony  that  we  find  the  re- 
markable fruit  for  which  it  is  distinguished.  Some  of 
the  plants  reach  the  height  of  only  four  or  five  feet, 
others,  ten  or  twelve,  and  even  more.  From  the  fan- 
like form  and  folds  of  the  leaves — which  the  natives 
slit  and  braid  into  baskets,  hats,  and  strainers,  the  plant 


BOTANICAL  PRODUCTIONS. 


283 


is  sometimes  called  tlie  fan-palm.  Its  external  appear- 
ance would  seem  to  give  it  a  place  between  the  palm 
and  the  Zamia,  or  bread-tree,  while  from  its  fruit  it 
would  seem  to  be  allied  to  the  ivory-plant  [Phytelephas) 
of  Peru.  It  bears  a  curious  fruit,  the  shape  of  a  cherry, 
the  size  of  a  good  large  peach,  within  the  dark  brown 
pericarp  of  which  there  is  an  exceedingly  hard  white 
ball  which  goes  by  the  name  of  "vegetable  ivory." 

Then  there  is  the  wild  banana  of  Natal  {Strelitzia 
alba,)  the  erect,  cylindrical  stem  of  which,  being  some 
twenty  feet  high  in  the  mature  plant,  all  marked  as  it 
is  with  a  series  of  concentric  circles,  looks  like  that  of 
the  palm ;  the  long,  wide  leaves,  like  those  of  the  ba- 
nana, or  plantain  ;  while  the  flower  looks  like  nothing 
save  its  own  most  peculiar  self.  But  the  leaf  of  the 
Strelitzia  is  only  about  half  as  long,  yet  quite  as  broad, 
as  that  of  the  banana ;  the  former  being  somewhat 
ovate,  about  two  feet  wide,  and  four  or  five  long,  while 
the  latter  is  lanceolate,  and  often  nine  or  ten  feet  long, 
as  I  know  from  actual  measurement.  The  oddest  thing 
about  the  strelitzia  is  the  flower,  or  rather  series  of 
flowers  which  it  puts  out.  A  stalk  shoots  up  from  out 
of  the  side  of  the  tuft  of  leaves  at  the  apex  of  the  stem, 
turns  a  right  angle,  and  gives  support  to  a  long  floral 
envelope,  a  kind  of  purple,  horny-looking,  monosepalous 
calyx.  Out  of  this  come  three  long  petals,  two  white, 
one  blue,  the  latter  also  barbed,  as  it  were,  at  the  base. 
You  think  this  all  the  flower  you  are  to  have,  nor  do 
you  complain  that  it  is  not  enough, — when,  lo  !  in  a  day 
or  two,  up  comes  another  just  like  the  first,  then  ano- 
ther, and  another.  While  this  bud  is  putting  forth  its  blos- 
soms, another  is  coming  up  from  the  same  stalk,  turn- 


284 


ZULU-LAND. 


ing  over  into  tlie  same  horizontal  plane  as  the  first,  and 
preparing  to  give  out  another  series  of  the  same  unique 
flowers, — two  long  white  petals,  a  third  blue  and  barbed. 
Thus,  in  time  another  bud,  perchance  still  another,  and 
another ;  after  which,  come  the  bright  red  and  black 
seeds.  The  inner  part  of  the  trunk  of  this  tree  is  some- 
times used  by  the  natives,  in  time  of  famine,  for  food. 

Here,  too,  we  have  the  wild  date,  the  Isundu  of  the 
natives ;  the  wild  olive,  or  Umgwenya,  and  the  Umtun- 
gulUj  a  species  of  evergreen  periwinkle,  bearing  a  beau- 
tiful scarlet-colored,  edible  fruit,  not  unworthy  of  the 
name  "Natal  plum,"  by  which  it  is  often  called. 

But  to  enumerate  and  describe  all  the  Botanical  pro- 
ductions of  Natal  would  make  more  than  a  chapter — in- 
deed, more  than  a  book.  Messrs.  Harvey  and  Souder 
are  just  now  getting  out  a  work  entitled  "  Flora  Capen- 
sis :  being  a  Systematic  Description  of  the  Plants  of 
the  Cape  Colony,  Kafraria,  and  Port  Natal."  The  first 
volume,  containing  about  six  hundred  pages,  octavo,  has 
made  its  appearance,  and  the  authors  think  it  will  take 
four  or  five  more  volumes  to  complete  the  subject  as 
they  have  begun. 

I  will  close  this  chapter  with  a  few  extracts,  somewhat 
abridged,  from  a  valuable  paper  in  the  "  Cape  Monthly 
Magazine,"  for  October,  1860.  Prepared  as  it  was  "by 
the  Colonial  Botanist,"  and  that  recently,  it  gives  us 
the  last,  best  phase  of  the  science  in  this  part  of  the 
world. 

The  probable  number  of  South  African  species  of 
plants,  says  this  article,  was  estimated  by  Harvey,  in 
1838,  at  1,086  genera,  and  8,500  species  ;  but  Dregd, 
who,  during  his  travels,  never  penetrated  into  the  in- 


BOTANICAL  PRODUCTIONS. 


285 


terior  any  farther  than  fifty  geographical  miles  inland 
from  the  coast,  has  actually  collected  1,008  genera,  and 
7,092  species.  If,  then,  we  take  into  account  all  the 
discoveries  made  since  1834,  and  consider  that  the  vast 
territories  of  the  Free  State,  Kafraria,  Natal,  and  the 
countries  beyond  the  Gariep  are  all  but  explored,  we 
may  readily  expect  a  much  larger  amount,  which  in  all 
likelihood  cannot  fall  short  of  at  least  18,000  species. 

This  great  number  of  plants  is  variously  dispersed 
through  the  different  provinces,  every  one  of  which  may 
be  said  to  have  its  peculiar  flora,  since  the  majority  of 
South  African  plants  are  confined  to  narrow  limits.  A 
still  greater  and  more  marked  difference  in  the  distribu- 
tion of  orders,  genera,  and  species,  presents  itself,  if 
from  the  extreme  west  we  advance  towards  the  east, 
where  along  with  gradual  climatical  changes  vegetation 
gains  an  altered  character,  until  at  Natal  it  assumes 
tropical  forms. 

The  family  which  predominates  over  all  others  in 
South  Africa,  is  that  of  the  compositce.  It  constitutes 
the  sixth  part  of  the  whole  number  of  its  flora,  is  nearly 
equally  distributed  through  all  provinces,  and  amounts 
to  182  genera,  and  1,593  species.  Many  of  the  former, 
and  the  greatest  part  of  the  latter,  are  quite  peculiar  to 
the  land,  and  not  a  few  of  them,  such  as  the  everlasting- 
flower,  the  gazanias,  othonnas,  arctotides,  and  others, 
gladden  the  eye  by  the  brilliancy  of  their  hues,  and  the 
grace  and  variety  of  their  forms. 

Next  to  them,  the  leguminous  tribe  occupies,  as  far 
as  numbers  are  concerned,  the  second  rank  in  our  flora, 
comprising  between  500  to  600  species,  two-thirds  of 
which  belong  exclusively  to  the  Western  Province ;  it 


286 


ZULU-LAND. 


forms  about  the  thirteenth  part  of  the  whole  of  South 
African  vegetation.  Indigofera,  Psoralea,  and  Aspala- 
thus,  are  the  prominent  and  most  numerously  repre- 
sented South  African  genera  of  this  order. 

The  third  great  natural  family  to  be  noticed  in  this 
place,  refers  to  gramineoe,  or  grasses.  This  tribe  is 
pretty  equally  distributed  between  the  two  principal 
divisions  ;  but  the  species  occurring  in  the  Eastern  Pro- 
vince and  Natal,  partake  of  a  more  social  character 
than  those  of  the  west.  Grrasses  form  about  the  one- 
and-twentieth  part  of  South  African  vegetation,  and 
embrace  95  genera,  with  359  species.  It  is  remarkable 
that  only  six  of  the  genera  are  truly  South  African, 
while  the  remainder  are  scattered  wide  and  far  over 
various  portions  of  the  globe. 

None,  however,  of  the  three  orders  named  exert  so  great 
an  influence  upon  the  flora  as  to  bestow  distinctive  phy- 
siognomical features  to  the  country.  This  is  effected  by 
plants  limited  in  their  range  of  dispersion,  but  which, 
within  certain  bounds,  surpass  all  others  in  originality 
of  form,  variety,  and  luxuriance  of  growth. 

The  most  prominent  amongst  these  are  the  Proteacece, 
so  named  in  allusion  to  the  diversity  of  their  genera. 
Their  favorite  stations  are  dry,  stony,  exposed  places, 
mountain  slopes,  or  sandy  localities ;  and  their  number 
amounts  to  11  genera,  and  288  species. 

After  proteaceoe,  the  numerous  heaths,  which  cover 
vast  tracts  of  uncultivated  land,  attract  our  attention. 
This  large  genus  contains  shrubs,  with  rigid,  linear,  en- 
tire leaves ;  and  its  species  are  equally  interesting  for 
the  variety  of  the  forms  of  their  flowers,  and  the  bril- 
liancy of  their  tints.     The  total  number  of  South 


BOTANICAL  PRODUCTIONS. 


287 


African  heaths,  hitherto  known,  amounts  to  410  spe- 
cies, two  thirds  of  which  are  peculiar  to  the  western 
parts  of  the  colony;  towards  the  east  they  sensibly  de- 
crease, and  reach  their  limit  at  Natal,  the  high  moun- 
tains of  which  produce  one  solitary  representative  of 
this  extensive  and  beautiful  genus.  Not  less  character- 
istic of  the  cape  flora  are  Mesemhryaeece  and  the  genus 
Stapelia.  Predominant  also,  in  some  parts  of  the  west- 
ern divisions,  in  addition  to  the  orders  just  named,  are 
the  Bucchu  family,  or  Diosmece,  known  for  their  pecu- 
liar odor;  the  Sorrel  tribe,  and  the  Rope  grasses. 

Leaving  this  zone,  and  approaching  the  East,  we  are 
surprised  at  the  change  which  takes  place  in  the  nature 
of  vegetation.  Already,  in  the  border  district  of 
George,  this  alteration  begins  with  verdant  hills,  fertile 
lawns,  and  aboriginal  forests,  rich  in  excellent  timber ; 
yet  the  farther  we  move,  Proteaceae,  Ericas,  and  Kesti- 
acese  become  rarer  in  proportion,  and  make  room  for 
families,  which  gradually  merge  into  the  sub-tropical 
flora  of  Natal.  Grassy  pastures,  admirably  adapted 
for  the  breeding  of  sheep,  alternate  with  impenetrable 
masses  of  arborescent,  evergreen,  often  succulent 
shrubs,  once  the  cherished  haunts  of  herds  of  elephants 
and  other  huge  herbivorous  beasts ;  and  almost  every- 
where the  gigantic  JEuphorhia  canariensis,  with  its  fluted, 
pillar-like,  prickly  stem,  is  seen  along  with  thorny 
Acacias,  the  spech-hoom  [Portulacaria  afra),  tall,  hand- 
some aloes,  and  a  profusion  of  fleshy  plants  in  the 
greatest  variety.  These,  in  conjunction  with  the  splen- 
did strelitzia  ngina  and  juncea,  the  beautiful  Tecoma 
capensis,  the  curious  elephant's-foot,  and  the  palm-like 
LycadecCy  or  Kafir  bread-trees,  the  modern  rcprcsenta- 


288 


ZULU-LAND. 


tives  of  an  extinct  antediluvian  tribe,  are  forms  wliicli, 
to  a  certain  degree,  express  the  character  of  the  vege- 
tation of  the  Eastern  Province.  The  most  prominent 
and  numerous  vegetable  orders  found  in  those  regions 
comprise,  besides  grasses  and  compositae :  Malvaceae, 
Capparidese,  Celastrineae,  Sarindaceae,  Acanthaceae, 
Euphorbiaceae,  Amaryllideae,  &c.,  many  of  which  spread 
towards  Natal,  where  they  are  joined  by  the  still  more 
tropical  types  of  Rhizophoreae,  Anonaceae,  Sterculiaceae, 
Malpighiaceae,  Connaraceae,  and  Palms. 

Go  to  the  fields,  and  nature  woo, 

No  matter  what  thy  mood  ; 
The  light  heart  will  be  lighter  made. 

The  sorrowful  imbued 
V^ith  joyous  thoughts.    The  simplest  flower 
Has  o'er  the  soul  a  magic  power. 

Alone,  communing  with  thyself, 

Or  with  congenial  friends  ; 
If  joy  expands  thy  soaring  soul, 

Or  woe  thy  bosom  rends. 
Go  to  the  fields,  and  thou  wilt  find 
Thy  woe  subdued,  thy  joy  refined.  Langford. 


ITS  FAUNA. 


289 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

THE  FAUNA  OF  NATAL — BEASTS. 

Afar  in  the  desert  I  love  to  ride, 

With  the  silent  Bush-boy  alone  by  my  side  : 

Away — away  from  the  dwellings  of  men, 

By  the  wild  deer's  haunt,  by  the  buffalo's  glen ; 

By  valleys  remote  where  the  oribi  plays, 

Where  the  gnu,  the  gazelle,  and  the  hartebeest  graze, 

And  the  kudu  and  eland  unhunted  recline 

By  the  skirts  of  grey  forest  o'erhung  with  wild  vine, 

Where  the  elephant  browses  at  peace  in  the  wood, 

And  the  river-horse  gambols  unscared  in  the  flood. 

And  the  mighty  rhinoceros  wallows  at  will 

In  the  fen  where  the  wild  ass  is  drinking  his  fill.  Pringle. 

With  the  lion,  which  is  expected  to  make  so  large  a 
figure  in  every  South  African  volume,  I  can  boast  but 
little  personal  acquaintance.  Though  no  strangers  to 
this  region,  as  the  cattle  of  my  missionary  associates 
could  testify  had  they  the  art  of  speech,  these  monarchs 
of  the  field  have  paid  me  and  my  station  little  attention. 
They  are  not  very  often  met  within  those  portions  of 
the  district  most  frequented  by  the  colonist  and  mis- 
sionary. Farther  inland,  the  native  and  the  European 
alike  must  be  prepared  to  encounter  this  powerful  and 
dangerous  beast. 

The  tiger,  however,  or  rather,  the  leopard,  as  his 
25 


290 


ZULU-LAND. 


beautifully  spotted  coat  requires  us  to  call  him,  has 
never  scrupled  to  make  himself  more  familiar.  Such  a 
compound  of  respect  and  disrespect,  prudence  and  im- 
prudence, courage  and  cowardice,  is  not  to  be  found  in 
any  other  animal  of  my  acquaintance.  If  you  were  to 
meet  him  in  the  field  or  by  the  wayside,  and  give  him 
timely  notice  of  your  approach,  he  would  doubtless 
withdraw,  and  give  you  the  whole  road ;  yet  I  should 
no  i  like  to  come  upon  him  abruptly.  When  pursued  he 
generally  betakes  himself,  cat-like,  to  a  tree,  if  nothing 
better  offers ;  and  more  than  one  white  man,  failing  to 
give  him  a  mortal  shot,  in  this  position,  has  died  of 
the  wounds  inflicted  by  his  exasperated  foe. 

In  coming  to  any  strange  place  or  new  thing,  the 
leopard  seems  to  study  his  first  approach,  and  look 
about  with  the  greatest  caution ;  and  yet,  if  he  makes 
up  his  mind  to  it,  he  will  walk  straight  into  a  trap  which 
was  set  on  purpose  to  catch  him,  or  attempt  to  take  a 
piece  of  beef  from  the  muzzle  of  a  musket,  with  as 
much  noji-chalance  as  you  would  a  nice  piece  of  broiled 
steak  from  the  end  of  your  fork.  Nor  will  he  hesitate 
to  take  up  and  swallow  a  piece  of  meat  in  which  you 
have  deposited  a  dose  of  poison, — strychnine^ — if  so  be 
the  slice  was  cut  from  the  cow  or  dog  which  he  slaugh- 
tered the  night  before ;  though  if  it  be  not  something 
of  his  own  killing,  the  chances  are  that  he  will  walk 
straight  over  without  touching  it.  If  he  would  practice 
more  economy,  his  nightly  visits  to  your  premises  would 
be  less  intolerable.  But  he  thinks  nothing  of  killing 
half-a-dozen  fowls,  or  two  or  three  calves,  sheep,  or 
goats,  more  than  he  needs,  and  leaving  them  uncon- 
sumed.    Once  setting  his  heart  on  a  thing,  he  is  ready 


ITS  FAUNA. 


291 


to  run  any  danger  to  get  it.  When  you  go  out  in  the 
morning  and  find  that,  in  order  to  make  sure  of  a  fowl, 
he  has  actually  thrown  himself  twenty  or  thirty  feet, 
and  come  down,  leopard,  birdie,  branch,  and  all,  upon  a 
pile  of  stones,  you  are  ready  to  wish  that  he  had  broken 
his  neck.  When  you  have  hung  a  bit  of  beef  high  up 
under  the  verandah  for  the  morrow's  dinner,  and  he 
comes,  pouncing,  at  dead  of  night,  from  the  top  of  a 
tree,  upon  the  roof  of  the  house,  just  over  the  head  of 
your  bed,  hoping,  of  course,  to  break  through  and 
breakfast  on  the  beef, — half  awake,  half  asleep,  your 
first  thought  is.  What's  all  that  noise  overhead?  Strik- 
ing a  light,  you  reach  the  window  just  in  time  to  see 
this  beautiful  night-walker  and  jumper  come  down,  head 
first,  from  the  roof,  and  move  ofi",  all  majestically,  as 
though  nothing  had  happened  ;  at  the  same  time  think- 
ing, no  doubt,  that  you  are  putting  yourself  to  un- 
necessary trouble  to  light  him  out  of  the  yard.  The 
best  accommodation  you  can  make  for  these  unceremo- 
nious callers,  judging  from  my  own  experience,  is  to 
make  a  little  room,  three  feet  by  six,  a  few  rods  from 
your  house,  with  a  place  for  a  chicken  at  one  end,  and  a 
trap-door  at  the  other. 

The  inhlozi,  tiger-cat,  is  nearly  as  tall  as  the  leopard, 
though  not  more  than  half  as  heavy.  Nor  does  it  differ 
much  from  the  leopard  in  the  colors  of  its  beautifully 
spotted  skin, — except  that  the  inJilozi  has  the  larger, 
brighter  patches  of  color,  both  black  and  yellow.  The 
tiger-cat  is  quite  as  fond  of  fowls  as  the  leopard, 
though  not  so  formidable ;  else  two  or  three  natives  had 
not  captured  and  killed  one,  a  week  or  two  since,  only 
a  few  rod3  from  my  house. 


292 


ZULU-LAND. 


The  Umhlangala,  a  kind  of  civet-cat — wliicli,  after 
all,  with  its  short  legs,  very  long  body,  and  still  longer 
tail,  looks  to  me  more  like  a  genet — is  a  little,  mischiev- 
ous animal  that  makes  its  habitat  among  the  long  grasses 
of  the  lowlands,  and  comes  creeping  up,  sometimes  by 
day,  oftener  by  night,  to  see  if  it  can  find  a  fowl  for  a 
feast.  A  pity  it  is,  that  when  it  gets  into  the  poultry- 
yard,  it  should  kill  half-a-dozen  where  it  ought  to  be 
content  with  one. 

A  kind  of  fox,  impunguche  as  the  natives  call  it,  has 
a  home  on  some  of  the  lonely  fields  of  Natal,  though  I 
have  never  seen  it, — only  heard  it  one  night  when, 
missing  my  way,  I  wandered,  and  waited  for  the  morn- 
ing, on  a  plain  between  the  Noodsberg  and  the  Umgeni. 

But,  of  all  the  hideous  sounds  that  I  have  ever  heard, 
the  cry  of  a  hungry,  roving  wolf,  or  hyena, — the  impisi 
of  the  natives — is  the  most  peculiar,  piercing,  and 
frightful, — a  strange  compound  of  a  scream  and  cry,  a 
howl  and  yell.  Riding  alone  by  night,  you  do  not  like 
to  find  that  one,  two,  or  half-a-dozen  of  them  are  bent 
on  following  either  you  or  your  horse ;  though  you 
know  they  are  so  cowardly  as  to  be  sure  to  turn  and  run 
the  moment  you  face  about  and  give  chase.  Nor  are 
they  at  all  particular  as  to  the  state  or  quality  of  the 
food,  so  that  it  be,  or  ever  have  been,  of  the  flesh  kind, 
or  bear  at  least  some  distant  relation  to  the  animal 
kingdom.  Hence,  as  Pringle  says,  "  One  of  the  chief 
functions  of  the  hyena  in  the  economy  of  nature,  ap- 
pears to  be  that  of  carrion-scavenger,  an  office  which 
he  divides  with  the  vulture.  The  lordly  lion,  the  im- 
perial eagle,  always  kill  their  own  game.  The  hyena 
and  vulture  come  afar  and  gather  up  the  offals." 


ITS  FAUNA. 


293 


When  reduced  to  the  necessity  of  killing  their  own 
game,  if  they  can  get  a  plenty  of  buck,  sheep,  goats, 
calves,  pigs,  or  fowls,  hyenas  seldom  molest  other  and 
larger  animals,  as  children,  cows,  oxen,  and  horses. 
And  yet,  if  the  pack  is  large  and  hungry,  they  do  not 
hesitate  to  s-eize  upon  an  ox  or  a  horse,  especially  if 
they  can  find  one  in  a  feeble  state  or  a  little  separated 
from  the  rest  of  the  troop. 

And  here  I  must  remark  that  the  cattle  in  this  coun- 
try are  to  be  commended  for  the  care  which  the  stronger 
sometimes  take  of  the  weaker,  and  for  the  very  wise, 
efficient  manner  in  which  they  often  combine  to  protect 
each  other  in  time  of  danger.  Thus,  when  a  leopard 
leaps  from  his  hiding-place  in  a  bush,  or  in  a  patch  of 
tall  grass,  to  seize  upon  a  straggling  cow,  no  sooner 
does  she  cry  for  help  than  the  bold  and  strong  of  the 
herd  rush  to  her  rescue.  Or  if  they  see  a  pack  of  hyenas 
hanging  about  them,  intent  upon  having  one  of  their 
number,  they  form  a  kind  of  hollow  circle,  to  the  center 
of  which  the  weak  and  small  retire,  while  the  strong  and 
large  parade  on  the  periphery,  walk  to  and  fro,  out  and 
in,  plunging  and  bellowing  at  their  foes,  till  they  pass 
on  and  leave  the  herd  to  rest. 

In  both  looks  and  acts,  the  wild  dog,  inhenjana  as  the 
natives  call  it,  is  one  of  the  most  savage  brutes  with 
which  I  ever  met.  The  Naturalists  seem  puzzled  to 
know  where  to  class  it ;  hence  the  many  names  which 
one  or  another  of  them  has  given  it,— as  Hyena  picta, 
Canis  picUis,  Hyena  venatica,  Lycaon  tricolor.  In  size 
and  looks,  it  is  something  between  a  large  fierce  dog  and 
a  wolf  or  hyena,  and  very  properly  described  as  the 
Hyena  dog.    Its  head  is  large  and  almost  black ;  ?v 


294 


ZULU-LAND. 


whitish  ring  round  the  neck  ;  its  body,  shaggy  and  mot- 
tled, a  reddish  yellow  with  brown  and  gray,  also  here 
and  there  a  black  spot  or  stripe ;  its  tail,  long,  whitish, 
and  bushy.  They  go  in  packs  of  three,  four,  twenty  or 
thirty ;  run  fast ;  wander  from  place  to  place ;  and 
make  fearful  havoc  among  cattle,  sheep,  and  goats, 
taking  an  ox  by  the  tail,  and  a  cow  by  the  udder. 

The  buffalo,  whose  hide  is  so  valuable  for  making 
straps,  reims,  and  trek-tows,  or  draw  ropes, — the  ox- 
tackle  of  Natal, — is  still  to  be  found  among  the  thick, 
thorny  retreats  of  mimosa  forests  and  jungles  on  the 
Umgeni,  Umvoti,  and  Tugela. 

Nor  have  all  the  elephants  of  Natal  been,  as  yet, 
killed,  or  driven  out,  though  their  number  has  been 
greatly  reduced  since  the  white  man  came  among  them. 
A  troop  of  two  dozen  or  more,  attempting  to  pass  this 
way,  several  years  ago,  the  natives  managed  to  turn 
them  into  a  small  dense  bush,  (or  grove,)  and  then  shot 
about  half  the  number, — all  within  hearing  distance 
from  my  house.  When  night  came  on,  the  remainder 
were  glad  to  avail  themselves  of  the  silence  and  safety 
which  it  offered,  to  move  on  and  seek  refuge  in  some  of 
the  larger  jungles  in  the  Tugela  region. 

The  encounters  of  the  natives  with  these  gigan- 
tic creatures  afford  them  topics  for  many  a  tale. 
Though  naturally  inoffensive,  the  Elephant  is,  when  pur- 
sued and  wounded,  a  fearful  antagonist,  and  woe  be  to 
the  man  who  then  comes  within  the  reach  of  his  trunk. 
Dashed  to  the  earth,  the  poor  wretch  is  trodden  to  a 
jelly  by  his  ponderous  feet,  or  transfixed  by  his  ivory 
tusks.  In  the  encounter  with  the  herd  near  my  station, 
very  narrow  escapes  were  made  by  our  Zulus  from  the 


CHASED  BY  AN  ELEPHANT. 


P.  295. 


ITS  FAUNA. 


295 


frantic  bulls  thus  brought  to  bay  ; — one  of  them  very 
similar  to  that  of  Mr.  Baldwin,  the  English  Nimrod  of 
Natal.  Mr.  Baldwin  having  wounded  a  large  male  ele- 
phant, the  savage  beast  pursued  him  up  a  steep  hill 
to  which  he  fled  hoping  to  escape  his  pursuer.  The 
hunter  constantly  slipping  and  gained  upon  by  the  ele- 
phant was  in  a  fair  way  to  fall  a  victim  to  his  rage. 
Seeing  no  disposition  on  his  part  to  give  up  the  chase, 
Baldwin  changed  his  tactics.  He  got  above  a  tree  and 
leaning  on  it  a  few  seconds  to  recover  his  wind, — 
a  critical  moment,  for  the  elephant  was  not  more 
than  four  of  his  own  lengths  from  him, — then  sprang  to 
the  right  and  ran  down  the  hill  at  full  speed,  the  mon- 
ster screaming  and  trumpeting  after  him  at  a  tremen- 
dous pace.  When  almost  overtaken  the  hunter  leaped 
to  one  side,  leaving  the  elephant  to  go  crashing  by,  ut- 
terly unable  to  stop  his  career,  greatly  to  the  relief  of 
the  exhausted  Englishman. 

The  rhinoceros  is  found,  two  kinds  of  it, — the  one 
called  UmJcomhe,  and  the  other,  Ubejani,  designated,  by 
some,  as  the  white,  and  the  black, — in  the  upper  part 
of  the  colony  and  in  Zulu-land.  That  called  UmJcomhe 
is  much  the  larger  and  milder  of  the  two,  and  has  two 
horns.  The  front  and  longer  horn  is  two  feet  or  more 
in  length ;  the  other,  only  eight  or  ten  inches. 

The  Jiippopotamus — the  imvuhu  of  the  natives,  the 
sea-cow  of  the  colonist — has  a  home  amid  some  of  the 
waters  and  fields  of  Natal.  Not  far  from  the  mouth  of 
the  Umgeni  is  a  large  pond  which  goes  by  the  name  of 
sea-cow  lake,  so  called  from  its  being  the  abode  of  this 
species  of  monsters.  The  hippopotamus  is  now  found 
only  in  Africa.    Its  suggested  identity  with  the  Behe- 


296 


ZULU-LAND. 


moth  of  the  book  of  Job,  is  doubtful.  Its  canine  teeth 
make  the  finest  ivory  in  the  world ;  it  is  used  for  the 
manufacture  of  certain  mathematical  instruments  ;  also 
for  artificial  teeth.  Its  hide  makes  the  best  whip- 
lashes ;  its  flesh,  also,  is  eaten  with  satisfaction. 

Of  the  wild  boar,  or  wild  pig  as  we  generally  call  it, 
we  have  two  kinds, — the  pig  of  the  bush,  ingulube;  and 
the  pig  of  the  plain,  inhlovudawana,  "  a  little  substitute 
for  the  elephant,"  as  the  name  implies  ;  being  so  called, 
doubtless,  because  of  its  tusks.  The  former  will  go  a 
long  way  in  the  night,  to  find  a  good  field  of  green  mea- 
lies (maize),  and  when  he  has  once  got  a  taste  of  a  gar- 
den the  owner  must  keep  a  good  look  out,  night  after 
night,  from  dusk  till  dawn ;  else  this  greedy  porker  and 
his  peripatetic  party  will  eat  and  waste  the  whole  crop 
ere  it  is  ripe  for  the  harvest.  A  very  good  specimen 
of  a  peregrinating  philosopher,  at  least  from  among  the 
lower  order  of  animals, — a  good  walker,  a  remarkably 
good  runner,  keen-scented,  curious,  cunning,  is  this  va- 
riety of  the  suidce,  of  which  we  speak.  The  pitfall  is 
the  only  kind  of  trap  in  which  I  have  ever  known  one 
of  them  to  be  caught ;  and  many  are  the  hunting  par- 
ties which  the  people  make  every  year,  to  chase,  kill, 
and  exterminate  the  last  relic  of  the  race  from  all  their 
borders.  And  yet  poor  piggy  and  his  party  manage  to 
live,  thrive,  keep  up  their  number  and  character,  and 
come  round  as  regularly  as  the  new  year,  for  a  new  taste 
of  the  new  corn.  The  flesh  of  this  animal,  when  fat, 
makes  very  good  pork.  It  sometimes  attains  to  the 
weight  of  a  hundred  and  fifty  pounds,  or  even  more, — 
nearly  twice  that  of  the  other  kind. 

The  pit-fall  which  the  natives  make  for  wild  hogs, 


• 


ITS  FAUNA.  297 

as  also  for  the  sea-cow  and  some  other  animals,  is  a 
large,  deep  hole,  dug  in  the  earth,  and  filled  with  sharp 
stakes  stuck  here  and  there  in  the  ground,  with  their 
pointed  ends  upwards.  The  pit,  thus  prepared,  is  co- 
vered with  slender  rods,  bushes,  and  grass,  so  that  any 
animal,  passing  that  way,  must  fall  in,  and  be  wounded 
beyond  power  to  escape,  if  not  actually  transfixed  and 
killed. 

Altogether  a  difi'erent  animal  from  those  above  named 
is  the  so-called  earth-pig  [Orycteropus  eapensis,)  which 
some  call  also  the  ant-eater,  or  the  ant-bear,  the  Isam- 
hane  of  the  natives.  His  hog-like  head,  with  a  long 
upper  jaw,  which  projects  far  over  the  lower,  and  termi- 
nates in  a  snout ;  his  erect,  large,  pointed  ears ;  the 
shape,  size,  and  position  of  the  eyes ;  and  some  other 
things,  make  him  look,  at  first  sight,  not  a  little  pig- 
gish ;  and  hence,  with  his  habit  of  burrowing  and  spend- 
ing his  days  mostly  in  the  earth,  he  comes,  properly 
enough,  by  the  name  of  earth-pig.  With  his  large, 
strong  feet,  and  pointed,  powerful  claws,  he  is  enabled 
to  burrow  fast  and  far  in  the  earth,  so  that  it  is  next  to 
impossible  to  dig  him  out.  He  is  noted  for  the  admira- 
ble instinct  and  expertness  with  which  he  enters  an  ant- 
hill, and  takes  out  its  aiOfrighted  and  rallying  occupants. 
Opening  a  small  hole  on  one  side  of  the  hillock,  he 
thrusts  in  his  long  snout  as  far  as  it  will  go ;  and  then, 
reaching  forth  his  still  longer  tongue,  all  covered  as  it 
is  with  a  kind  of  glutinous  saliva,  as  he  runs  it  up  and 
down  their  covert-ways,  and  meets  the  ants  all  rushing 
to  the  breach,  he  seizes  upon  them,  draws  them  out, 
swallows  them  down,  and  goes  on  repeating  the  per- 
formance, in  the  dark  and  at  leisure,  looking  and  feel- 


298 


ZULU-LAND. 


ing,  no  doubi.  very  mucli  like  a  boy  with  a  straw  in  his 
mouth  at  the  bung  of  a  cider  barrel. 

The  common  porcupine  [Hystrix  cristata)  the  inungu 
or  ingu7igumhane  of  the  natives,  is  no  stranger  in  this 
part  of  Africa,  as  all  know  who  have  a  patch  of  sweet 
potatoes  in  the  neighborhood  of  its  burrow.  It  thinks 
nothing  of  walking  a  mile  or  two  any  dark  night,  if  so 
be  it  can  thus  find  a  field  of  umhlaza^  or  a  garden 
of  other  nice  vegetables.  It  is  a  formidable  animal, 
about  two  feet  long,  of  a  rough,  grizzly  appearance, 
armed  all  about  the  back  and  sides  with  long,  sharp 
quills,  or  spines.  These  vary  from  two  to  ten  or  fifteen 
inches  in  length,  being  longest  on  the  back.  They 
never  throw  their  spines  at  an  enemy,  only  erect  them, 

bristle  up,"  when  excited;  or,  perchance,  they  shake 
and  toss  themselves  to  and  fro,  when  attacked ;  in 
which  case  here  and  there  a  spine  may  be  shaken  out 
in  the  skirmish.  When  the  nightly  depredations  of 
these  animals  become  intolerable,  the  natives  usually 
hunt  up  their  burrows  and  dig  them  out.  My  own  gar- 
den once  suffered  not  a  little  from  one  of  them,  till,  one 
morning,  he  found  himself  swung  up  in  a  slipping  noose 
which  had  been  set  for  him,  the  night  before,  at  a  hole 
in  the  fence  through  which  he  had  been  accustomed  to 
enter. 

Of  rats  and  mice,  and  all  that  class,  there  is  no 
want  in  this  part  of  the  world.  As  the  native,  with 
rare  exceptions,  never  keeps  a  cat,  they  are  generally 
accustomed  to  have  it  all  their  own  way,  save  when 
they  meet  with  some  variety  of  the  weasel-tribe,  or  per- 
chance come  under  the  eye  and  talon  of  some  bird  of 
prey.    Nor  can  you  work  long  in  a  rich  old  garden 


ITS  FAUNA. 


299 


"Without  turning  up  some  kind  of  mole.  Perhaps  the 
fairy-rings,  or  verdant  circles,  the  curious  circular 
patches  which  we  find  here  and  there  in  the  open  fields, 
a  rod  or  two  in  diameter,  where  all  the  grass  within  the 
circle  looks  so  difi'erent  from  that  without,  may  owe 
their  orio;in  to  the  mole,  instead  of  the  lio-htnincr  to 
which  the  natives  are  accustomed  to  ascribe  the  pheno- 
mena. 

In  passing  through  a  jungle,  it  is  nothing  strange  to 
see  a  monkey  leaping  from  tree  to  tree  over  your  head; 
and  if  you  would  like  to  be  in  possession  of  one,  you 
have  but  to  ask  a  native  to  catch  him  for  you,  and  he 
will  do  it,  only  he  will  expect  you  to  pay  him  a  few 
shillings  for  the  job.  In  riding  along  the  open,  grassy 
fields  in  the  neighborhood  of  some  wild,  bushy  cliff,  or 
"kranz,"  I  have  often  fallen  in  with  a  troop  of  two  or 
three  dozen  baboons  of  all  ages,  evidently  from  the  in- 
fant to  the  father  and  mother  of  many  a  long  summer. 
If  you  seek  to  approach  them,  they  take  fright,  and 
ever  and  anon  half  turning  their  heads  to  watch  your 
progress,  begin  to  move  ofi",  helter-skelter,  with  a  sort 
of  lazy,  waddling  gallop,  to  hide  among  the  rocks  and 
bushes  of  the  clifi" ;  the  younger  and  more  timid  taking 
the  lead,  while  the  bold  and  strong  tarry  longer,  as  if  to 
show  their  greater  courage,  though  in  reality  to  scan 
your  movements  and  see  that  all  the  little  folks  are 
fairly  out  of  harm's  way  before  they  leave  the  field. 
Both  the  monkey  and  the  baboon,  inlcau  and  imfene, 
being  fond  of  green  mealies  and  other  garden  vegeta- 
bles, give  trouble  to  the  natives.  They  sometimes  are 
seen  and  heard  from  our  own  door. 

The  baboon  can  make  himself  very  formidable,  though 


300 


ZULU-LAND. 


SO  far  as  I  have  observed,  he  is  innocent  enough  when 
let  alone.  But  I  should  not  like  to  hear  his  cry,  much 
less  to  fall  into  his  hands,  after  doing  either  him  or  his 
family  an  injury.  Let  them  be  set  upon  by  a  dog,  and 
one  of  their  number,  one  of  ''the  men,"  as  the  Zulus 
call  the  males,  will  take  him  with  a  firm  grasp  in  his 
two  hands,  bring  him  suddenly  to  the  mouth,  sunder 
the  jugular  vein,  or  bite  him  through  the  small  of  the 
back,  with  his  great,  sharp  teeth,  then  give  him  a  fling, 
and  all  so  sudden  that  the  poor  dog  scarcely  knows 
what  was  done,  or  who  did  it. 

One  of  the  most  interesting  and  useful  divisions  of 
animal  life,  in  this  colony,  is  that  which  comprises  the 
antelopes,  or  the  numerous  kinds  of  ^^hucJcs,''  as  the 
colonists  generally  call  them.  The  predominance  of 
this  class  of  ruminants  is  the  characteristic  feature  of 
South  African  Zoology.  As  the  reader  will  remember, 
the  horns  in  the  deer  family  consist  almost  of  solid  bone, 
usually  branched  and  shed  annually.  The  horns  of  the 
ox  and  goat  families,  consist  of  a  core  of  bone  covered 
by  a  sheath  of  true  horny  matter,  not  branched  nor 
shed ;  the  antelope,  which  fills  the  gap  between  these 
two  families,  like  them,  and  unlike  the  deer,  has  the 
hollow  horn,  unbranched,  permanent,  and  composed  of 
true  horny  matter.  In  Natal  and  the  adjacent  districts 
the  number  of  species  of  antelope  is  large.  It  is  not 
less  common  than  charming  and  beautiful  to  see  some 
of  these  graceful  creatures  cropping  the  green  grass 
about  our  house  in  the  dusk  of  evening ;  or  to  go 
out  in  the  morning  and  find  them  gamboling  up 
and  down  our  avenue,  as  if  trying  to  thank  us  that 
they  have  finally  found  a  place  where  tliey  may  come 


ITS  FAUNA. 


301 


forth,  meet  a  man,  feed  in  his  yard,  frolic  in  his  pre- 
sence, and  have  naught  to  fear  from  dog  or  gun,  naught 
to  care — 

"  For  all  the  savage  din  of  the  swift  pack, 
And  clamors  of  the  field," — 

a  place,  in  this  respect,  not  unlike  the  home  and  haunts 
of  him  from  whose  beautiful  "Task"  these  lines  are 
taken ;  and  whose  own  fondness  for  a  class  of  animals 
which  bear  at  least  a  resemblance  to  some  of  the  tribe 
of  which  we  speak,  has  been  so  sweetly  sung  by  a  kin- 
dred spirit,  Mrs.  Barrett  Browning,  where  she  says : — 

And  timid  hares  were  drawn  from  woods 

To  share  his  home  caresses, 
tJplooking  to  his  human  eyes 

With  sylvan  tendernesses. 

Nor  can  you  ride  about  the  country  and  visit  different 
localities,  without  being  surprised  at  the  great  variety 
of  these  bright-eyed  and  light-footed  creatures,  as  they 
start  up  here  and  there  at  your  approach,  and  bound 
away  across  the  grassy  plain,  or  plunge  into  some  jungle 
nigh  at  hand. 

The  ipiti,  a  very  small  blue  buck,  scarcely  larger  than 
a  rabbit,  with  horns  to  match,  lives  mostly  in  the  bush  ; 
and  will  make  a  very  nice  titbit  for  the  table — if  you 
can  catch  him.  The  impunzi,  duiker  alojms,  is  only  a 
little  larger  than  the  ipiti.  This  lives  also,  for  the  most 
part,  in  the  bush,  and  gets  the  name  of  diver  from  the 
Dutch,  because  of  its  habit  of  running  under,  instead 
of  leaping  over,  the  bushes  with  which  it  meets,  when 
seeking  to  escape  the  hunter  and  his  hound.  Its  color 
is  dark  gray. 
26 


302 


ZULU-LAND 


The  iula^  as  the  natives  call  the  oriU,  or  ourehi,  is  of 
a  pale  yellow  or  reddish  color,  with  white  on  the  under 
parts.  It  inhabits  the  open  plain;  is  two  feet  high, 
three  long ;  weighs  about  thirty  pounds,  and  makes  very 
good  venison.  Its  black  horns  are  very  slender  and 
sharp,  four  and  a  half  inches  long,  with  half  a  dozen 
rings  and  several  wrinkles  at  the  base.  The  inxala,  or 
red  reed-buck  (an  eleotragus),  is  a  reddish  fawn-colored 
animal,  with  long  ears,  large  eyes,  horns  black,  about  a 
foot  long,  curved  forwards,  and  beautifully  annulated; 
hair  long,  and  tail  shaggy.  It  lives  in  high  grass,  and 
along  the  reedy  banks  of  rivers,  stands  about  three  feet 
high,  and  weighs  from  seventy-five  to  a  hundred  pounds. 
Much  like  to  this,  only  larger,  is  the  umziki,  or  mhlangu, 
another  kind  of  reed-buck,  the  color  of  which  is  a  dull 
ashy-gray.  I  have  before  me  a  pair  of  beautiful  horns, 
which  show  fifteen  large  rings,  measure  fifteen  inches 
along  the  curves,  the  bold  and  forward  sweep  of  which 
forms  nearly  a  segment  of  a  circle ;  while  they  also 
spread  so  as  to  measure  upwards  of  fifteen  inches  from 
tip  to  tip.  The  inhonha^  a  large,  dark  brown  bush-buck, 
or  ram,  {tragelaphus  sylvaticd)  is  about  the  size  of  the 
umziki.  His  erect,  nearly  straight  and  parallel  horns, 
a  pair  of  which  I  have  before  me,  are  about  fourteen 
inches  long,  twisted  once  round,  heavy,  pointed,  and 
marked  from  the  base  up  with  numerous  wrinkles. 
Hard-pushed,  he  is  inclined  to  show  fight,  and  is  said 
to  bark  like  a  dog  when  rushing  upon  his  foe. 

Besides  the  foregoing,  we  have  the  umkumhe,  a  small 
red  bush-buck,  which  lives  chiefly  along  the  coast ;  the 
graceful  iquina,  or  stein-buck,  which  likes  to  live  in 
stony  places  and  among  stunted  bushes  ;  and,  occasion- 


ITS  FAUNA. 


303 


ally,  the  blesse-hucJc  comes  from  inland  to  pass  a  -winter 
on  the  Natal  side  of  the  Drakensberg  range.  Then 
there  is  the  magnificent  inhluzele,  the  hartebeest  of  the 
Dutch  [Alcephalus  caama),  which  naturalists  reckon 
among  the  bovine  antelopes ;  but,  seen  at  a  distance,  it 
looks  to  me  more  equine  than  otherwise, — only,  to  be 
sure,  it  has  horns  and  cleaves  the  hoof.  Its  color  is  a 
grayish  brown ;  its  size,  that  of  a  cow,  or  two-year  old 
colt ;  it  weighs  two  or  three  hundred  pounds ;  goes  in 
herds,  in  open  upland  pastures ;  and  looks  harmless 
enough  ;  though  it  can  be  very  savage,  as  I  judge  from 
a  fight  which  I  saw  last  year  between  two  bulls,  not  far 
from  Grey  Town. 

The  Impofu,  eland,  which  is  much  larger  than  the 
hartebeest,  is  also  found  in  herds  in  the  open  upland 
pastures.  It  is  a  splendid  animal,  fat  and  heavy,  weigh- 
ing from  five  hundred  to  a  thousand  pounds. 

But  taken  as  a  whole,  body,  eyes,  horns,  and  all,  per- 
haps the  umgaJcJila,  or  Kudu,  {strepsiceros  capensis), 
which  has  its  principal  haunts  in  the  woody  regions  of 
the  Zulu  country  and  Kafirland,  is  the  most  magnificent 
of  our  East-African  antelopes.  The  horns  of  the  male 
are  three  or  four  feet  long,  twisted  spirally  with  a  bold 
sweep  twice  round,  slightly  wrinkled  and  highly  wreathed, 
but  not  annulated.  The  natives  use  these  horns  or 
rather  two  feet  of  the  little  end,  as  pipes  for  smoking 
wild  hemp. 

The  imbutumu,  gnu,  or  wilder-bees t  of  the  Dutch, 
and  the  idiihe,  or  quagga,  which  some  call  the  wild  ass, 
can  hardly  be  said  to  belong  to  the  fauna  of  Natal ; 
though  they  often  come  down  and  spend  some  of  the 
cold  winter  months  on  this  side  of  the  Kwahlamba,  to- 


304 


ZULU-LAND. 


gether  witli  hordes  of  other  wild  animals,  the  lion  among 
the  rest,  all  living  and  feeding  together,  day  after  day, 
in  the  same  field  in  those  more  secluded  regions — 

By  valleys  remote  where  the  oribi  plays, 

Where  the  gnu,  the  gazelle,  and  the  hartebeest  graze, 

And  the  kudu  and  eland  unhunted  recline. 


REPTILES. 


305 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

REPTILES. 

As  to  the  "finny  race,"  so  far  as  my  information  ex- 
tends, the  rivers  of  Natal  are  wonderfully  wanting  in 
all  kinds ;  though  the  still  waters  of  the  Bay  are  tole- 
rably well  stocked  with  such  as  like  the  salt  of  the  sea. 
Under  the  urgency  of  appetite  or  the  force  of  a  habit 
contracted  in  other  lands,  one  may  be  moved  to  try 
"to  tempt  the  trout"  in  some  of  the  beautiful  brooks 
of  fresh  water  by  which  he  may  happen  to  be  sur- 
rounded. But,  owing,  doubtless,  to  the  rapidity  with 
which  they  flow,  together  with  the  fact  that  they  are  of- 
ten swollen  to  a  fearful  height  by  heavy  rains,  he  will 
not  be  long  in  concluding  that  they  contain  nothing 
worth  the  "baited  hook." 

With  reptiles,  great  and  small,  it  is  far  otherwise ; 
in  these  our  Zulu-land  abounds.  With  the  alligator,  the 
most  formidable  and  most  feared  of  this  family,  nearly 
all  the  deep,  still  waters  of  our  larger  rivers  are  in- 
fested. These  ugly,  fierce,  scaly  brutes,  too  well  known 
to  need  description,  are  called  by  the  natives  ingwenya, 
— a  name  which  some  make  to  mean  "  aquatic  gorging 
tiger."  Basking  upon  the  sand-banks,  or  among  the 
reeds  of  the  river's  brink  ;  or  scouring  its  deep  pools,  he 
26* 


306 


ZULU-LAND. 


is  the  dread  of  the  traveler  compelled  to  cross  the  stream. 
Mr.  Butler,  a  member  of  our  mission  narrowly  escaped 
from  one  of  these  savage  creatures  with  his  life. 

In  going  to  one  of  the  stations,  it  was  necessary  for 
him  to  cross  the  Umkomazi.  No  natives  being  at  hand 
to  manage  the  boat,  he  ventured  to  cross  on  horseback, 
though  the  water  was  deep  and  turbid.  As  he  went 
over  safely,  when  he  returned  the  next  day  he  again 
ventured  into  the  river  in  the  same  way.  When  about 
two-thirds  of  the  way  across,  his  horse  suddenly  kicked 
and  plunged,  as  if  to  disengage  himself  from  his  rider ; 
and  the  next  moment  an  alligator  seized  Mr.  Butler's 
thigh  with  his  horrible  jaws.  The  river  at  this  place  is 
about  one  hundred  and  fifty  yards  wide,  if  measured  at 
right  angles  to  the  current ;  but  from  the  place  we  enter 
to  the  place  we  go  out,  the  distance  is  three  times  as 
great.  The  water  at  high  tide,  and  when  the  river  is 
not  swollen,  is  from  four  to  eight  or  ten  feet  deep.  On 
each  side,  the  banks  are  skirted  with  high  grass  and  reeds. 

Mr.  Butler,  when  he  felt  the  sharp  teeth  of  the  alli- 
gator, clung  to  the  mane  of  his  horse  with  a  death-hold. 
Instantly  he  was  dragged  from  the  saddle  ;  and  both  he 
and  the  horse  were  floundering  in  water,  often  dragged 
entirely  under,  and  rapidly  going  down  the  stream.  At 
first  the  alligator  drew  them  again  to  the  middle  of  the 
river ;  but  at  last  the  horse  gained  shallow  water,  and 
approached  the  shore.  As  soon  as  he  was  within  reach, 
natives  ran  to  his  assistance,  and  beat  ofi"  the  alligator 
with  spears  and  clubs. 

Mr.  Butler  was  pierced  with  five  deep  gashes,  and  had 
lost  much  blood.  He  left  all  his  garments,  except  his 
shirt  and  coat,  on  the  opposite  shore  with  a  native  who 


REPTILES. 


307 


was  to  follow  him ;  but  when  the  struggle  commenced, 
the  native  returned,  and  durst  not  venture  into  the  wa- 
ter again.  It  was  now  dark ;  and,  without  garments 
and  weak  from  loss  of  blood,  he  had  seven  miles  to  ride 
before  he  could  reach  the  station  of  a  brother  missionary. 
He  borrowed  a  blanket  of  a  native  ;  and  after  two  hours 
succeeded  in  reaching  the  station,  more  dead  than  alive. 

His  horse  also  was  terribly  mangled ;  a  foot  square 
of  the  flesh  and  skin  was  torn  from  his  flanks.  The 
animal,  it  is  supposed,  first  seized  the  horse ;  and  when 
shaken  ofi",  he  caught  Mr.  Butler,  first  below  the  knee, 
and  then  in  the  thigh,  making  five  or  six  wounds,  from 
two  to  four  inches  long,  and  from  one-half  to  two  and  a 
half  inches  wide.  After  a  severe  illness,  Mr.  Butler 
recovered,  but  will  not  soon  lose  the  marks  of  this  fast 
and  loving  friend's  hold  upon  him. 

The  Uqamu,  or  Unxamu,  a  kind  of  amphibious  Igu- 
ana, looks  enough  like  the  alligator  to  be  mentioned  at 
the  same  time.  Upon  a  closer  inspection  it  might  be 
considered  an  aquatic  chameleon  of  monstrous  dimen- 
sions. Its  body  is  about  two  feet  long,  and  its  tail 
three ;  its  home  is  in  the  deep  shady  pools  of  brooks,  and 
rivers ;  though,  for  a  change,  it  often  goes  out  to  sun  on 
a  sand-bank.  It  feeds  on  toads,  rats,  birds,  and  liz- 
ards ;  and  it  has,  withal,  perhaps  wrongfully,  the  repu- 
tation of  biting  boys  that  go  to  bathe  in  the  little  la- 
goons of  the  rivers  which  it  inhabits.  Very  like  this, 
in  shape,  size,  and  appearance,  is  the  imhulu,  a  land 
animal  of  the  Iguana  stamp.  Pass  it  in  the  field,  as 
though  you  saw  it  not,  and  it  will  lie  still,  "  squat  like 
a  toad;"  but  give  it  a  sharp  look,  and  it  starts  at  once  to 
waddle  away.    Whether  it  be  really  chargeable  with  the 


308 


ZULU-LAND. 


trick  of  going  about  stealing  milk,  winding  its  long  tail 
round  the  legs  of  the  cow,  and  then  sucking  away  at 
the  udder,  like  a  great  calf,  is  a  point  which  I  should 
not  like  to  be  called  on  to  prove ;  yet  some  of  the  na- 
tives will  tell  you  that  it  is  even  so,  and  add,  in  confir- 
mation of  the  remark,  that  the  animal  is  very  fond  of 
milk ;  this  latter  point  being  proved  by  the  former, — 
that  he  goes  about  sucking  cows. 

I  might  be  charged  with  slighting  the  reptile  race  of 
Zulu-land,  and  overlooking  a  class  of  creatures  which 
seldom  fail  to  command  attention  the  moment  they  show 
themselves,  should  I  omit  to  remark  that  Natal  is  truly 
a  land  of  snakes.  Nor  will  any  of  them  be  slandered 
if  it  be  said  that,  for  size,  the  python  [Hortulia  Nata- 
lensis)  bears  away  the  palm.  This  rock  snake,  as  some 
call  it,  the  inhlwati  of  the  natives,  a  kind  of  boa-con- 
strictor, is  sometimes  found  eighteen  or  twenty  feet 
long.  After  swallowing  a  goat  or  buck,  all  at  one 
mouthful,  it  is  quiet  for  a  day  or  two ;  and  in  this  state 
it  may  be  approached  and  dispatched  with  great  ease. 
The  native  doctors  attach  some  virtue  to  its  skin  and 
bones,  mixing  the  former  with  their  medicines,  and 
wearing  the  latter  on  a  string  about  the  neck  or  other 
part  of  the  body.  But  though  the  python  is  so  large, 
and  quite  able  to  swallow  a  man,  yet  he  is  a  very  inno- 
cent creature  in  comparison  with  the  imamha.  Of  the 
snakes  which  go  by  this  name,  there  are  at  least  two 
kinds, — ^the  green,  and  the  dark  gray  or  mottled.  These 
are  six  or  eight  feet  long ;  and  their  bite,  as  too  many 
sad  instances  prove,  is  fatal,  unless  speedy  help  be 
found.  The  green  is  fond  of  climbing  trees,  and  seems 
quite  at  home  among  the  branches ;  nor  is  it  easily  dis- 


REPTILES. 


309 


covered  there,  vdnce  its  color  is  so  exactly  that  of  the 
green  foliage  in  which  it  lies  ensconced.  Not  so,  how- 
ever, when  it  enters  a  house,  great  facility  for  which  is 
aiforded  by  the  loose  way  in  which  many  new  comers 
make  their  first  habitations  in  this  sunny  land.  And 
when  the  reptile  takes  alarm  from  the  internal  or  do- 
mestic commotion  which  its  presence  occasions,  and  be- 
gins to  drag  its  slow  length  along  through  a  hole  between 
the  wall  and  the  roof,  with  a  view  to  escape,  she  is  a 

brave  woman,  who,  like  Mrs.  ,  will  catch  and  hold 

it  by  the  tail,  while  her  husband  goes  out  with  a  rod 
and  gives  it  a  rap  on  the  head. 

The  gray  'mamha  will  sometimes  give  chase,  as  I 
know  from  my  own  observation.  Riding  one  day  at  a 
slow  pace,  a  walk,  in  the  field,  I  saw  a  serpent  of 
this  class  hastening  down  the  side  of  a  hill  on  my  left, 
rising  and  falling  with  a  wavy,  undulating  motion,  half 
upon  the  tops  of  the  tall  grass,  his  progress  all  in  my 
direction,  as  if  he  had  some  special  intent  on  me  or  my 
horse.  As  I  advanced  he  turned  his  course  and  hurried 
on  after  me,  and  was  just  raising  his  head  for  a  thrust 
close  by  my  side,  when  a  whistle  and  cut  of  the  whip 
put  my  horse  upon  a  gallop,  and  so  delivered  us  from 
the  evidently  meditated  attack. 

The  inhlonJilo  is  a  large,  dark  flame-colored  serpent, 
seven  or  eight  feet  long,  with  a  fin-like  crest.  If  his 
looks  are  at  all  significant  of  the  virtues  of  his  venom, 
one  can  easily  believe,  what  all  the  natives  say,  that 
his  bite  is  mortal.  The  ipimhi  is  a  kind  of  cobra  de  ca- 
pelloy  or  hooded  snake,  so  called  from  the  membranous 
distension  which  it  produces  along  the  sides  of  its  head 
and  neck  when  irritated  and  preparing  for  attack.  It 


310 


ZULU-LAND. 


has  a  series  of  rings  under  the  neck,  and  a  body  six  or 
seven  feet  long.  When  angry,  it  stands  and  runs,  as  it 
were,  upon  its  tail ;  lifting  its  head  two  or  three  feet 
from  the  ground.  Having  dilated  his  hood,  raised  his 
head,  and  begun  to  dart  his  forked  tongue  at  you,  be- 
ware ! — either  flee  or  be  sure  that  you  can  deal  him 
at  once  a  deadly  blow.  Meeting  one  in  my  front  yard 
the  other  day,  I  applied  a  rod  to  his  back,  and  now  have 
his  head  pickling  in  a  bottle  of  alcohol.  Another  species 
of  the  cobra  is  a  greenish  brown  or  steel-colored  crea- 
ture, which  the  natives  call  imfezi.  The  body  of  this 
snake  is  about  as  large  as  your  wrist,  and  as  long  as  your 
arm.  His  disposition  is  altogether  bad.  Displeased 
with  your  approach,  he  raises  his  head,  flattens  his 
neck,  and  begins  to  spit  venom.  Woe  be  to  you  if  you 
come  now  within  the  reach  of  his  fangs. 

The  ibululu,  or  irohocha  (vipera  caudalis),  is  what  the 
colonists  often  call  the  "pufi*  adder."  It  is  of  a  dark- 
ish yellow  color,  with  a  profusion  of  black  and  white 
spots  along  the  back ;  the  head,  broad  and  flat ;  the 
body,  thick,  short,  and  depressed,— only  two  or  three 
feet  long,  and  sometimes  as  large  as  your  wrist.  Its 
movements  are  very  slow.  In  fact,  it  will  lie,  flat  and 
still,  right  in  your  path,  see  your  approach,  and  never 
care  to  budge  an  inch, — only  pufi"  and  blow,  and  make 
a  sort  of  hissing  noise,  as  if  to  warn  you  of  your  dan- 
ger. It  was  by  this  hissing  sound  that  I  was  once 
made  aware  of  the  presence  of  one  in  my  path,  as  I 
was  going  to  hold  evening  service  with  my  people.  Nor 
did  he  deign  to  move  till  I  came  with  a  light  and  a  rod 
and  put  him  out  of  the  way.  His  bite  is  reputed  to  be 
most  fatal.    We  have  here,  also,  another,  smaller  kind 


REPTILES. 


311 


of  puff  adder  (Echidna  inornata),  whicli  the  natives 
call  inhlango.  Umanjingelana  is  the  name  of  a  dark 
brown,  scaly,  yet  glossy-looking  animal,  which,  with 
the  reputation  of  being  poisonous,  has  a  great  liking 
for  such  places  as  a  back  yard, — nay,  often  goes 
so  far  as  to  crawl  into  the  kitchen ;  all  of  which 
our  laws  look  upon  as  capital  crimes  and  punish 
accordingly.  When  such  invasions  occur  we  comfort 
ourselves  with  the  reflection  that,  thus  far,  we  are  more 
fortunate  than  some  others — missionaries  and  colonists 
— of  our  acquaintance,  who  have  sometimes  found  one 
of  the  serpentine  family  in  their  parlor  or  bedroom,  and 
occasionally  a  very  sly,  obtrusive  character  snugly 
coiled  away  between  the  sheets  or  under  the  pillow. 
But,  to  the  credit  of  the  creeping  tribe,  it  must  be  said 
that  most  of  them,  bad  as  they  are,  have  better  man- 
ners than  this ;  nor  can  it  be  denied,  on  the  other  hand, 
that  the  way  in  which  some  houses  are  built,  holds  out 
strong  temptations  to  these  animals  to  practice  such 
intrusions. 

The  reader  must  not,  however,  think  all  our  snakes 
endowed  with  deadly  venom.  I  am  sure  some  of  them 
could  not  harm  you  much,  if  they  should  try  ;  and  pos- 
sibly some  of  them  are  so  well  disposed,  or,  at  least,  so 
indifferent  in  respect  to  both  self  and  others,  that  they 
would  not,  without  good  reason,  if  they  could.  Per- 
haps the  'mamba  is  the  only  one  that  can  be  counted 
really  aggressive.  Among  those  which  are  reputed  to 
be  harmless  are  the  inyandezulu,  a  slender  green  snake, 
with  a  sprinkling  of  black  spots  ;  the  umzinganJdu,  so 
called  from  its  living  about  houses ;  the  ivuzamanzi,  a 
black  water-snake ;  ifulwa,  a  green  water-snake ;  uhokoti, 


312 


ZULU-LAND. 


a  long,  dark  yellowish  snake ;  inkwakwa^  a  reddish 
snake ;  and  the  umhlwazi,  a  long  greenish  brown  snake. 
Besides  these,  we  have — but  there  is  no  need  to  men- 
tion more.  As  another  has  said,  "  Snakes  constitute  a 
legion  in  the  land,  far  too  numerous  to  have  been 
hitherto  numbered  and  catalogued.  They  abound  alike 
in  the  tangled  bush,  in  the  grassy  pasture,  and  in  the 
stony  wilderness." 

It  is  worthy  of  remark,  however,  and  of  remem- 
brance with  gratitude,  that,  with  the  one  or  two  excep- 
tions noticed,  even  the  worst  of  the  snakes  with  which 
the  land  is  infested  are  glad  to  move  out  of  the  way 
when  they  happen  to  find  themselves  in  your  presence, 
and  only  make  an  attempt  to  attack  you  when  they 
consider  it  necessary  on  the  ground  of  self-defence  and 
preservation.  And  even  then,  be  it  observed,  a  kind 
Providence  has  endowed  most  of  them  with  a  way  of 
warning  you  of  your  danger,  ere  the  fatal  blow  is  struck. 

As  the  editor  of  the  Natal  JournaV  has  playfully 
said:  "Nearly  all  the  wounds  that  are  inflicted  by 
venomous  snakes  upon  man,  are  the  result  of  a  want  of 
frank  understanding  between  the  parties.  The  gentle- 
man inadvertently  sets  his  foot  on  the  reptile's  tail,  and 
the  reptile,  under  the  impression  that  the  insult  was 
premeditated,  resents  the  action.  Or  the  gentleman 
has  a  friend  who  wishes  for  a  green  snake  to  put  in  a 
bottle,  and  endeavors  to  reduce  some  slippery  individual 
of  the  race  to  the  bottling  condition,  while  the  snake, 
knowing  nothing  of  the  honor  of  the  embalmment  for 
which  he  is  marked  out,  does  his  best  '  to  give'  his  as- 
sailant 'pause,'  in  order  that  he  may  take  himself  off 
out  of  the  way  during  the  cessation  of  the  strife.  There 


REPTILES. 


313 


IS,  however,  nothing  in  this  which  ought  really  to  sur- 
prise. It  is  the  hahit  of  the  snake  to  swallow  his  prey 
whole,  and  he  only  wounds,  in  a  general  way,  that  he 
may  feed.  He  first  licks  his  intended  meal  all  over  to 
make  it  unctuous  and  smooth ;  he  then  opens  his  mouth 
very  wide,  fixes  his  peg-like  teeth  upon  the  unskinned 
mouthful,  and  by  dint  of  sheer  muscular  effort  sucks  it 
in  whole,  hair-breadth  by  hair-breadth,  often  spending 
whole  hours  in  the  accomplishment  of  the  single-mor- 
selled meal. 

"  Now,  the  venomous  snake  is  sharp  enough  to  know 
that  neither  men  nor  oxen  are  at  all  adapted  for  this 
proceeding.  He  is  instinctively  a  trigonometrical  rep- 
tile, and  effects  a  careful  observation  of  the  intended 
mouthful  before  he  commits  himself  to  the  task  of  stow- 
ing it  away.  The  fact  is  simply  that  the  venomous 
snakes  are  not  the  largest  of  their  race,  and,  therefore, 
do  not  affect  great  prey.  The  Ophidian  Titans, — the 
Pythons  and  the  Boas, — are  wrestlers,  and  not  stab- 
bers,  and  prepare  their  meals  by  rolling  them  round 
with  the  suffocating  folds  of  their  lithy  and  sinewy 
bodies,  rather  than  by  instilling  a  narcotic  poison  into 
their  blood.  But  even  these  serpentine  giants  find  rab- 
bits and  goats  more  in  their  way  of  business  than  bullocks 
and  men. 

"When  the  matter  is  fairly  and  philosophically  viewed, 
it  would  be  ai)out  the  same  thing  to  be  surprised  that 
the  venomous  serpents  do  not  pursue  and  attack  men, 
as  it  would  be  that  canary  birds  do  not  peck  at  cocoa- 
nuts.  "What  little  danger  there  is  of  hurt  from  veno- 
mous snakes,  is  in  reality  mainly  due  to  their  timid 
and  stealthy  habits,  rather  than  to  their  ferocity,  or  else 
27 


314 


ZULU-LAND. 


to  the  aggressive  and  museum -furnishing  spirit  of  man. 
For  our  own  parts,  as  neophytes  in  colonial  life,  we 
always  assume  grand  airs,  and  make  a  great  noise,  when 
we  walk  into  the  long  grass,  and  we  carry  on  our  inves- 
tigations into  the  domestic  habits  of  modest  and  retiring 
reptiles  by  the  aid  of  a  telescope.  When  they  pay  an 
accidental  visit,  as  they  occasionally  do,  to  our  windows, 
in  the  sunny  afternoon,  we  shut  the  casement  close,  and 
contemplate  them  through  the  glass.  We  met  a  green 
fellow  the  other  day,  we  don't  know  how  many  feet  long, 
or  how  many  inches  round,  on  the  open  path  as  we  were 
strolling,  and  we  walked  briskly  off,  and  told  one  of  our 
native  attendants  where  he  was  to  be  found.  We  dare 
say  the  time  will  come  when  we  shall  bag  our  ten  brace 
of  Ophidians  before  breakfast,  and  have  to  speak  of  the 
prowess  of  our  shambok.  At  present,  when  Mr.  Lay- 
ard  writes  from  the  Cape  to  request  thirty  or  forty 
new  serpents  for  the  shelves  of  the  South  African  Mu- 
seum, we  temporise,  and  write  back  in  reply,  '  to  know 
which  kind  he  would  like  to  have.'  " 

The  action  of  a  snake,  when  he  inflicts  a  wound  and 
infuses  poison  into  the  flesh  of  man  or  beast,  is  generally 
called  biting,  though  striking,  or  stabbing,  would  be  a 
more  correct  description  of  the  deed.  Nor  can  it  be  de- 
void of  interest  to  look  a  moment  at  the  poisoning  ap- 
paratus which  the  really  venomous  serpent  carries  about 
with  him  ;  and  at  the  manner  in  which  he  ^acks  it  away 
when  it  is  not  required.  This  apparatus  consists  chiefly 
of  two  parts — a  long,  delicate,  slightly-curved,  sharp- 
pointed  fang,  with  a  hole  through  the  middle  from  end 
to  end,  for  inflicting  a  wound  and  transmitting  venom, 
and  a  gland  for  secreting  the  venom  to  be  transmitted. 


REPTILES. 


315 


The  fang  is  so  fixec  in  a  little  separate,  movable  jaw- 
bone, which  carries  r.o  other  teeth,  that  when  the  snake 
has  nothing  for  it  to  do,  it  folds  itself  backward,  that 
is,  with  its  point  towards  the  throat,  and  there  lies  em- 
bedded in  a  little  sheath  of  soft,  thick  gum,  altogether 
out  of  the  way.  But  the  moment  snakie  sees  any  work 
of  a  venomous  character  to  be  done,  up  comes  the  fang ; 
being  drawn  out,  set  up,  and  kept  in  a  proper  position, 
with  its  base  on  the  venom-bag,  all  by  a  little  muscle 
which  stands  there  waiting  to  perform  these  offices ;  so 
that,  when  the  reptile  comes  to  strike  the  point  of  the 
fang  against  anything,  as  into  the  flesh  of  man  or  beast, 
the  pressure  upon  the  gland  forces  the  venom  through 
the  canal,  directly  into  the  wound.  Should  the  fang 
be  broken  at  any  time,  there  is  another  lying  in  em- 
bryo by  its  side,  ready  to  spring  up  and  take  its  place. 
The  light,  easy  manner  in  which  the  fang  is  suspended, 
being  fixed  to  a  little  movable  jaw  of  its  own,  provides 
for  withdrawing  the  instrument  without  a  strain  upon 
its  delicate  point,  which,  with  the  careful  manner  in 
which  it  is  packed  away  when  not  required,  like  the 
blade  of  a  penknife  in  its  handle,  would  seem  to  make 
it  seldom  necessary  to  bring  out  a  second. 

Before  dismissing  this  snaky  subject,  let  me  add  a 
few  words  about  the  remedies  to  be  used  when  one  is 
bitten.  And  here  it  is  worthy  of  remark  that  we  really 
hear  of  comparatively  few  deaths  from  the  bite  of  one 
of  these  reptiles.  No  doubt  the  number  of  the  really 
venomous  is  less  than  the  people  suppose.  Nor  is  this 
strange.  The  certain,  speedy,  distressing  death- which 
is  known  to  follow  from  the  bite  of  some,  together  with 
the  general  external  likeness  which  the  harmless  boar, 


316 


ZULU-LAXD. 


in  manj  cases,  to  those  whicli  are  not  so,  naturally  gives 
them  all  a  bad  name.  The  real  venom  looks  very  much 
like  gum  arabic  or  fat  reduced  to  a  liquid  state,  and  is 
said  to  be  tasteless,  or  nearly  so.  It  is  also  said — and 
the  fact  is  an  important  one,  if  it  be  indeed  a  fact,  as  I 
have  reason  to  believe — that  the  venom  of  which  we 
speak  may  be  swallowed  with  impunity  ;  only  you  should 
have  no  cut  or  other  wound  about  the  mouth,  through 
which  it  could  reach  the  blood.  It  is  the  action  of  the 
poison  upon  the  blood,  destroying  its  vitality  that  does  the 
mischief.  Once  in  the  blood,  and  there  left  to  do  its 
work,  its  progress  is  rapid — a  smarting  pain  about  the 
wound,  swelling,  extension  of  the  pain  and  swelling 
along  up  the  limb,  nausea,  delirium,  death,  all  in  two 
or  three  hours,  if  not,  indeed,  in  one  hour,  or  even 
thirty  minutes ;  except,  perchance,  the  poison  prove 
too  little  or  too  feeble  for  its  allotted  task,  or  speedy, 
effectual  efforts  be  made  to  extract  or  neutralize  it. 

To  prevent  the  poison  from  being  diffused  through 
the  system,  a  bandage  is  tied  tight  about  the  finger  or 
limb,  just  above  the  wound.  To  extract  the  poison,  the 
wound  is  opened  and  suction  employed  ;  or  a  bit  of 
lunar  caustic,  or  a  red  hot  iron  is  applied,  to  destroy 
the  poison.  Then,  to  counteract  the  internal  effects,  in 
case  the  poison  in  spite  of  these  efforts  has  found  its 
way  into  the  system,  great  reliance  is  placed  upon  the 
use  of  ammonia.  There  seems  to  be  no  doubt  that  this 
has  often  proved  ar  effectual  remedy.  Twelve  grains 
of  the  carbonate  of  ammonia,  dissolved  in  water,  may 
be  given  every  ten  or  fifteen  minutes ;  or  thirty  drops 
of  hartshorn,  or  sal-volatile  may  be  substituted  for  the 
carbonate.    So  says  Dr.  Mann;  and  so,  for  substance, 


REPTILES. 


317 


the  late  Dr.  Adams.  The  ammonia  is  also  applied, 
meanwhile,  externally,  that  is,  rubbed  upon  the  wound. 
I  have  applied  this  remeiy — hartshorn  or  ammonia — 
in  several  cases,  giving  a  dose  of  castor  oil  with  it ;  and 
the  parties  have  all  recovered.  But  whether  they  had 
been  bitten  by  one  of  the  venomous  sort,  and  would 
have  died  without  the  use  of  ammonia,  is,  of  course, 
more  than  I  know.  But  when  one  is  bitten  or  stung 
by  a  spider,  wasp,  bee,  or  other  reptile  or  insect  of  this 
kind,  a  little  ammonia  rubbed  upon  the  wound  acts  like 
a  charm  in  allaying  the  pain  and  arresting  the  swelling, 
as  I  can  testify  from  ample  experience  and  observation. 
The  principle  upon  which  this  remedy  operates  is  found 
in  the  fact  that  the  acid  of  the  poison  is  neutralized  by 
the  alkali  of  the  ammonia.  Other  alkalies,  as  soda  and 
potassa,  may  be  used  with  benefit  when  ammonia  can- 
not be  procured. 

From  the  snakes,  we  come  by  an  easy  gradation,  to 
the  lizards.  In  justice,  however,  to  all  the  families 
of  this  tribe  with  which  we  have  ever  happened  to  meet 
here  in  Natal,  it  must  be  said  that  a  few  years'  observa- 
tion and  acquaintance  with  them  go  far  towards  dispel- 
ling the  many  prejudices  and  much  fear  with  which  one 
is  at  first  accustomed  to  regard  them.  The  isibankwa, 
a  brown  copper-colored  lizard,  about  six  inches  long, 
may  be  seen  at  almost  any  time  of  day,  now  quietly 
basking,  now  darting  about,  here  and  there,  on  the 
sunny  side  of  a  house,  cattle-fold,  or  any  old  fence, 
always  ready  to  play  bo-peep  in  the  most  familiar  way 
with  observers.  The  uJcotochem  is  a  spotted  kind  of 
lizard  which  lives  mostly  under  stones.  The  isiquzi, 
which  makes  its  liahitat  mostly  in  the  grass,  is  about  a 
27* 


318 


ZULU-LAND. 


foot  long,  of  a  most  beautiful,  yellowish  green  color,  and 
of  motions  "quick  as  wink." 

But  the  great  lizard  of  the  land,  or  that  which  outran 
the  chameleon,  according  to  popular  tradition,  and  so 

"  Brought  death  into  the  world,  and  all  our  woe," 

is  called  intulo.  Its  length  is  some  six  or  seven  inches ; 
its  color,  spotted  gray,  like  the  bark  of  trees,  on  which, 
for  the  most  part,  it  seems  to  have  its  home.  Its  move- 
ments are  exceedingly  sudden  and  rapid;  and  the  man- 
ner in  which  it  darts  from  one  side  of  the  tree  to  an- 
other, to  avoid  being  seen,  and  yet  keeps  peeping  round 
on  this  side,  and  then  on  that,  to  see  what  you  may 
want  or  will  do,  and  all  as  though  he  were  trying  to 
pick  a  play  with  you,  is  amusing. 

The  chameleon,  unwabu  as  the  natives  call  it,  is  very 
common,  and  just  the  same  careful,  creeping  animal — 
eyes,  hands,  feet,  changing  colors,  and  all  that  you  have 
heard  and  read.  The  tradition  concerning  his  message 
to  men,  has  been  given  in  another  chapter.  Mr.  Dohne 
gives  the  substance  in  his  dictionary,  which,  for  the  sake 
of  the  remark  with  which  he  closes,  I  will  copy. 

"  This  slow  and  curious  little  animal  is  of  some  his- 
torical importance  in  respect  to  these  savage  nations. 
Tradition  says,  that  Unwabu  was  sent  by  Unkulunkulu 
(a  first  great  being),  after  men  had  been  made,  to  tell 
them  that  they  should  live  for  ever,  and  not  die.  But 
after  he  had  started,  the  great  being  repented,  and  sent  . 
Intulo  (the  quick  running  salamander),  to  tell  the  people 
that  they  should  die.  Unwabu,  being  too  slow  in  de- 
livering his  message,  was  outrun  by  Intulo,  who  came 
first  with  his  message  to  men,  by  whom,  also,  it  was  ac- 
cepted    When,  therefore,  Unwabu  arrived  afterwards, 


REPTILES. 


319 


his  message  was  not  accepted,  because  men  answered 
him :  *Do  thou  go,  for  we  have  already  accepted  of  that 
which  Intulo  brought  to  us.'  And  hence,  adds  tradition, 
it  is  that  men  die. 

"  Comparing  these  names  with  the  nature  of  the  tra- 
dition, there  can  hardly  remain  any  doubt  but  that  we 
have  here  some  report  of  the  creation  of  man,  and  his 
primary,  blessed  state  or  destination,  which  was  inter- 
rupted and  lost  by  the  acceptance  of  a  message  bearing 
upon  death." 


320 


ZULU-LAND. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

INSECTS  AND  BIRDS. 

Oh  1  how  canst  thou  renounce  the  boundless  store 

Of  charms  that  Nature  to  her  votary  yields? 
The  warbling  woodland,  the  resounding  shore, 

The  pomp  of  groves,  and  garniture  of  fields ; 
All  that  the  genial  ray  of  morning  gilds, 

And  all  that  echoes  to  the  song  of  even ; 
All  that  the  mountain's  sheltering  bosom  shields. 

And  all  the  dread  magnificence  of  heaven ; — 

Oh  !  how  canst  thou  renounce,  and  hope  to  be  forgiven  ? 

Beattie. 

As  to  the  insects  of  tlie  land — I  was  about  to  say 
that  they  are  numberless.  I  cannot  do  better  than  to 
give  my  reader  some  paragraphs  on  these  multitudinous 
tribes  from  the  "Natal  Guide."  "The  insect  race," 
says  its  editor,  "  as  a  matter  of  course,  musters  strong 
in  the  South  African  sunshine.  The  tribes,  however, 
which  seem  to  claim  for  themselves  most  immediate  no- 
tice, are  those  which  belong  to  the  fan-winged  [ortliop- 
terous)  division.  A  locust,  two  inches  long,  and  wear- 
ing a  gorgeous  green,  gold,  and  black  coat-of-mail,  feeds 
gluttonously  under  the  trees.  Grasshoppers  leap  from 
under  the  pedestrian's  feet,  and  when  well  up  in  mid- 
air, expand  a  pair  of  bright  scarlet  wings,  and  lengthen 
their  leap  into  a  flight.    The  grotesque  phasmidae,  or 


INSECTS  AND  BIRDS. 


321 


spectr  3-insects,  lurk  in  the  pathway  like  limbed  and 
animated  straws  and  twigs ;  and  the  green  mantis  lies 
in  wait  on  the  branches  and  trunks  of  trees,  and  with 
clasped  and  uplifted  legs  turns  its  green  goggle  eyes 
upon  the  approaching  intruder,  and  even  waits  curiously 
and  patiently  with  waving  horn-like  antennae  whilst  its 
back  is  stroked.  Big-thighed  crickets  complete  this 
motley  orthopterous  (fan-winged)  group,  which  as  much 
deserves  to  be  considered  the  representative  type  of  the 
insect  race  of  the  colony,  as  the  amaryllids  do  to  be 
taken  as  a  leading  type  of  the  vegetable  tribes. 

"  The  butterflies  of  Natal  are  very  varied  and  beauti- 
ful. At  night,  throughout  the  season  of  the  summer, 
the  darkness  is  spangled  with  the  soft-glowing  light  of 
the  fire-flies.  The  water-courses  along  the  streets  of 
Maritzburg  are  completely  fringed  with  their  dancing 
fires  night  after  night.  The  cicadas  keep  the  air  filled 
with  shrill  grating  discord,  during  pretty  well  eight 
months  of  the  year.  Solitary  bees  make  tunnels  in 
the  walls  of  dwelling-houses,  and  long  brown-and-gold 
wasps  suspend  their  paper  nests  from  the  beams  of 
verandahs  and  out-houses.  The  ground  is  alive  with 
colonies  of  ants,  some  being  shiny-black  fellows,  others 
rusty  red,  and  others  of  pigmy  size  and  brown.  Scarcly 
a  yard  of  bare  ground  can  be  discovered  which  is  not 
occupied  with  the  busy  marchings  and  runnings  to  and 
fro  of  these  active  and  energetic  insects. 

"The  'white  ant  is  properly  not  an  ant  at  all.  It 
is  an  insect  holding  an  intermediate  position  between 
the  orthopterous  tribes  already  alluded  to,  and  the  true, 
or  hymenopterous,  ants.  The  little  white  workers  which 
constitute  the  laboring  part  of  the  community,  are  the 


822 


ZULL'-LAND. 


immature  forms  (larvce)  of  the  insect.  The  soldiers, 
recognized  by  their  larger  heads  and  mandibles,  are  in 
more  matured  states ;  but  these  soldiers  never  put  on 
wings.  The  winged  members  of  the  community  are  in- 
dividuals which  have  attained  full  perfection  as  males 
and  females ;  these  fly  off  from  the  nest  as  soon  as  their 
development  is  complete,  to  establish  fresh  colonies. 
Such  of  the  females  of  these  insect  emigrants  as  escape 
the  numerous  dangers  of  their  out-of-door  excursion, 
are  found  by  scattered  parties  of  workers,  and  impri- 
soned in  a  cell  of  hardened  clay  as  the  centers  of  inde- 
pendent settlements. 

"The  white  ants  labor  entirely  out  of  sight  in  covered 
ways.  They  form  galleries  of  hardened  clay  a  short 
distance  beneath  the  surface,  which  ramify  in  various 
directions  from  the  royal  cell  or  nest.  These  galleries 
are  often  carried  beneath  the  foundations  of  houses,  and 
then  up  through  the  interior  of  the  wood-work ;  a  mere 
thin  surface-layer  of  which  is  alone  left  to  hide  their 
proceedings.  The  ants  sometimes  travel  from  the  floor 
to  the  upper  stories  or  the  roof,  through  plastered  walls. 
They  then  betray  their  course  by  making  small  open- 
ings here  and  there,  through  which  they  fling  the  waste 
materials  of  their  excavations.  These  ingenious  depre- 
dators are  very  abundant. 

"  There  is,  however,  one  kind  of  true  ant  which  be- 
longs especially  to  the  house,  and  which  is  especially 
the  housekeeper's  pest.  This  is  a  small  brown  species, 
or  emmet,  which  makes  its  nest  in  walls  and  beneath 
floors,  and  which  has  an  unconquerable  liking  for  all 
sweet  and  fat  articles  of  food.  The  first  thing  it  does 
is  to  find  out  the  pantry.    Some  stray  foragers  then 


INSECTS  AND  BIRDS. 


323 


discover  where  the  good  things  are  deposited,  and  a  run 
is  forthwith  established ;  that  is  to  say,  a  procession  be- 
gins of  insects  passing  to  and  from  the  discovered  trea- 
sures in  a  wide  track  or  train,  in  which  every  pair  of 
mandibles  going  downwards  or  outward,  is  laden  with 
a  pilfered  morsel.  If  the  run  be  broken  across,  or  dis- 
turbed, a  detour  is  made  round  the  difficult  point,  and 
the  communications  are  established  along  another  line. 
Complicated  campaigns  extending  over  weeks,  may  be 
fought  in  this  way  with  the  emmets,  and  be  ended  in 
their  favor  by  their  establishing  themselves  in  posses- 
sion of  the  disputed  ground.  The  ingenuous  shifts  and 
contrivances  to  which  they  resort  in  such  contests  would 
be  quite  incredible,  if  not  observed.  There  is  only  one 
course  of  proceeding  which  proves  to  be  too  much  for 
them.  This  consists  in  isolating  every  article  that  they 
affect  by  placing  it  upon  shelves  or  in  safes  and  cup- 
boards, standing  upon  legs  thrust  into  little  tin  vessels 
of  tar.  All  the  shelves  of  a  pantry  may  be  easily  iso- 
lated in  this  way,  by  having  four  legs  three  inches  long 
at  their  corners,  placed  in  such  tar  receptacles  standing 
on  lower  shelves. 

"  There  are  several  kinds  of  the  insect  known  under 
the  name  of  the  tick  (ixodes)  found  in  Natal.  The 
larger  species  confine  their  attention  to  oxen  and  horses. 
These  are  often  as  large  as,  or  larger  than,  a  pea.  Those 
which  attack  man  are  very  much  smaller.  The  most 
troublesome  of  all  is  so  small,  that  it  can  be  barely  seen. 
These  insects  are  shaped  something  like  a  bug.  They 
have  no  wings,  and  cling  to  the  stalks  of  the  grass,  from 
which  they  are  brushed  by  passing  animals.  They  pos- 
sess, in  the  place  of  mouths,  a  pair  of  sharp  delicate 


324 


ZULU-LAND. 


lancets,  and  a  pipe  covered  over  externally  with  small 
curved-back  spikes.  Tliej  plunge  this  implement  into  the 
skin,  and  then  suck  away,  holding  unconsciously,  and 
therefore  very  resolutely,  by  their  barbs.  They  are 
destitute  of  eyes,  and  hence  it  may  be  hoped  are  not 
altogether  conscious  of  their  evil  deeds.  The  ticks  are 
very  troublesome  to  animals,  especially  in  the  sea-coast 
district.  They  also  occasionally  cause  an  inconveni- 
ent amount  of  irritation  in  the  human  skin.  This 
much,  however,  must  be  said  even  for  these  blind,  blood- 
thirsty insects ;  their  reality  is  not  so  bad  as  their  re- 
putation. 

"  The  spiders  of  Natal  are  also  a  host  which  can 
hardly  be  numbered.  Some  of  them  are  big,  hairy,  bold 
rascals,  rather  given  to  letting  themselves  down  from  the 
thatch  in  unceiled  rooms,  at  inconvenient  and  un- 
seasonable times.  They  are  of  seemingly  infinite  diver- 
sity, and  many  are  spotted,  and  of  beautifully  bright 
colors.  The  scorpion  now  and  then  turns  up,  but  is 
very  rarely  seen." 

Here,  too,  we  have  the  "fish  moth,"  called  also  by 
some  the  "  Silk  moth."  "This  is  a  steel-gray  fishy- 
looking  creature  with  six  legs,  without  wings,  and  with 
diverging  spikelets  to  its  tail.  It  inhabits  the  crevices 
of  walls,  and  wood-work,  and  is  nocturnal  in  its  habits, 
being  greatly  addicted  to  the  insides  of  boxes  which  are 
not  often  disturbed,  and  more  especially  if  lined,  as 
instrument  cases  are,  with  green  baize.  It  is  very  fond 
of  all  fabrics  containing  starch,  and  attacks  woolen 
clothes  of  all  kinds,  riddling  them  full  of  holes.  Very 
considerately  it  prefers  old  clothes  to  new  ones.  The 
Blimy-looking  gray  body  is  really  covered  with  scales  of 


INSECTS  AND  BIKDS. 


325 


microscopic  minuteness.  The  troublesome  creature  is, 
indeed,  a  species  of  the  Lepisma,  which  is  in  such  high 
repute  among  the  microscopists  of  England,  on  account 
of  its  furnishing  them  these  minute  scales  as  test-ob- 
jects adapted  to  try  the  optical  excellence  of  their  in- 
struments. It  is  an  insect  which  is  destitute  of  wings, 
which  undergoes  no  transformation,  and  which  for  these 
and  other  structural  reasons  is  placed  in  the  *  Thysan- 
ourous,'  or  tassel-tailed^  wingless  group  of  entomologists. 
The  fish  moths  possess  an  incredible  tenacity  of  life. 
The  writer  now  has  one  of  them,  which  was  placed  in  a 
wine-glass  three  months  ago  to  test  its  power  of  endur- 
ance, which  has  had  no  supply  of  food  since,  saving  one 
companion  that  was  at  first  the  sharer  of  its  captivity, 
and  which  is  at  the  present  time  as  lively  as  when  the 
incarceration  commenced." 

In  a  sunny  land  like  this,  where,  as  along  the  coast, 
we  have  no  wintry  cold,  from  year  to  year,  to  diminish 
the  races  of  insect  life,  you  can  easily  conceive  that  the 
tribes  must  be  numerous,  and  the  habits  of  some  of 
them  novel  and  interesting.  Nor  have  you  ever  need 
to  go  far  to  find  them  and  study  their  curious  character. 
For  instance,  now,  while  I  write,  and  almost  in  sight  of 
my  windows,  along  the  borders  of  the  verandah  on  one 
side  of  my  house,  there  is  a  strip  of  dry,  sandy  earth, 
filled  with  little  conical  or  funnel-  shaped  pit-falls,  the 
work  of  the  ant-lion,  {myrmeleori) — perhaps  a  dozen  of 
them  on  a  piece  of  ground,  no  larger  than  my  table. 
This  ant-lion,  which  the  natives  call  inJcunzana,  or  little 
bull,  is  a  very  stout,  savage  sort  of  an  animal,  and  very 
resolute  withal,  though  only  about  a  third  of  an  inch  in 
length.    Nor  is  he  at  all  ignorant  or  unskilled  as  to  the 

28 


826 


ZULU-LANr. 


manner  in  which  the  unwary  may  be  engulfed  and 
made  to  yield  their  life  to  his  support.  Moving  spirally 
backwards  in  a  small  circle,  and  tossing  out  the  sand 
by  a  series  of  sudden  jerks  with  neck  and  mandibles, 
as  he  goes  round  and  round,  he  soon  finds  himself 
snugly  ensconced  and  waiting  for  prey  at  the  bottom 
of  a  conical  pit  about  the  size  and  shape  of  a  wine- 
glass— all  the  steep  and  sandy  surface  of  which  is 
ready  to  roll  in  at  any  moment,  and  carry  down  any 
luckless  ant  or  other  insect  that  may  be  passing  that 
way.  Should  his  victim  seem  to  be  aware  of  his  dan- 
ger, as  he  goes  tumbling  down  the  sides  of  the  funnel, 
and  so  make  an  effort  to  escape,  the  little  lurking  assas- 
sinator shoots  up  a  volley  of  sand,  his  little  balls  of 
granite,  which  fall  pattering,  of  course,  upon  the  poor 
traveler's  head,  perhaps  set  other  sands  in  motion,  till 
the  pelted  prey  is  utterly  bewildered,  enveloped  in  an 
avalanche,  and  carried  down  to  the  bottom  of  the  pit. 
The  murderous  myrmeleon  now  seizes  his  victim  with  a 
pair  of  large,  sharp-pointed  mandibles,  and  drags  him 
down  under  the  sand  out  of  sight.  Here,  all  in  the 
dark,  still  holding  on  with  his  mandibles,  he  applies  a 
powerful  sucking  apparatus,  kept  on  hand  for  the  pur- 
pose, with  which  he  extracts  all  that  is  soft  and  juicy ; 
then,  bringing  up  the  dry  carcass,  he  gives  it  a  sudden 
jerk,  and  throws  it  out  of  his  den,  the  walls  of  which 
are  now  put  in  repair  for  entrapping  another  victim. 
Having  lived  a  year  or  two  in  this  way,  he  retires  for  a 
few  weeks,  wraps  himself  up  in  a  little  globular  cocoon 
which  he  spins  and  weaves  of  sand  and  silk,  and  then 
comes  out  a  sort  of  four-winged  freebooter  in  the  shape 
of  a  dragon-fly,  and  still  goes  on  to  keep  up  his  preda- 


INSECTS  AN!  BIRDS. 


32T 


ceous  habits  by  waging  war  on  various  tribes  of  winged 
insects,  such  as  the  moth  and  the  butterfly. 

Oh !  cruel  and  iniquitous  ant-lion,  I  think  I  hear  you 
exclaim.  But  if  there  was  nothing  like  the  ant-lion 
and  dragon-fly  to  prey  upon  other  insects,  and  then  no- 
thing like  the  weasel  and  lizard,  owl  and  bat,  hawk  and 
buzzard,  to  prey  upon  these  and  upon  one  another,  all 
such  things  as  ants  and  ant-lions,  dragon-flies,  butter- 
flies, and  other  flies,  useful  and  beautiful  as  they  are  in 
their  time,  place,  and  proper  proportion,  would  soon 
become  as  numerous  and  annoying  as  any  of  the  swarms 
and  other  plagues  ever  were  in  Egypt. 

Nor  does  the  land  of  Natal  seem  to  be  wanting  in 
the  number,  beauty,  or  variety  of  her  feathered  family. 
To  quote  again  from  the  Guide  to  Natal:  "  The  field  is 
abundantly  stocked  with  pheasants,  partridges,  and 
quails.  The  pheasant  is  an  ugly  brown  bird,  marked 
by  a  white  horse-shoe,  and  with  a  cry  exactly  like  that 
of  the  English  pheasant ;  it  has  white  but  dry  flesh. 
The  gray-winged  partridge  is  like  the  English  bird ;  it 
is  principally  confined  to  the  coast-lands.  A  red- 
winged  partridge,  as  large  again  as  the  gray-winged,  is 
found  in  most  parts  of  the  colony.  The  teal  is  occa- 
sionally met  with  in  small  numbers.  The  wild  duck  is 
rare.  The  Muscovy  duck  is  more  common.  So  also 
is  the  wild  goose,  which  is  a  very  delicious  bird  on 
table.  The  jpaauw  (wild  turkey  or  bustard)  is  very 
abundant,  and  is  one  of  the  most  esteemed  species  of 
game  in  the  colony.  The  meat  of  the  breast  is  brown 
and  of  a  peculiar  short  fibre ;  the  meat  of  the  other 
parts  is  white ;  its  flavor  is  intermediate  between  that 
of  the  pheasant  and  the  wild  duck,  and  nearly  resem- 


328 


ZULU-LAND. 


bles  that  of  the  Moor  fowl  of  Scotia  ad.  It  is  shot  in 
the  open  country  by  sportsmen  riding  in  cii'cles  round  it. 

''The  Koran  is  .a  smaller  bird,  but  of  excellent  qua- 
lity in  the  proper  season ;  it  is  more  like  the  English 
woodcock,  and  has  half  an  inch  of  delicious  fat  upon  its 
back. 

"  The  guinea-fowl  abounds  in  the  bush.  A  species 
of  snipe  is  very  common  in  the  open  land.  There  is 
also  'a  golden  snipe,'  which  is  ornamented  with  circu- 
lar yellow  and  black  spots.  There  are  various  kinds 
of  storks,  cranes,  and  pelicans  in  Natal.  There  is  one 
known  as  the  locust  bird,  and  another  as  the  Kafir 
crane.  One  of  the  most  interesting  of  the  tribe  is  the 
secretary  bird,  which  wages  incessant  and  very  success- 
ful warfare  with  the  snakes. 

"  The  birds  of  prey  are  an  extensive  family  in  Natal, 
and.  have  very  important  business  entrusted  to  their 
care.  A  large  black  eagle  is  now  and  then  seen. 
There  are  several  kinds  of  falcons,  kites,  hawks,  and 
owls.  Some  of  the  hawks  are  very  small,  and  prey 
only  on  the  insects  (insect  hawks.)  There  are  two  spe- 
cies of  the  vulture.  One  kind,  a  large,  heavy,  black 
and  white  bu'd,  with  fringed,  flapping  wings,  is  con- 
stantly seen  winging  its  way  through  the  higher  regions 
of  the  air,  intent  upon  some  business  visit  to  carrion. 
The  most  common  crow  is  a  raven-like  bird,  with  a 
curious  carunculated  and  hooked  beak,  and  a  white  cres- 
cent upon  its  back. 

"  The  birds  of  the  bush  are  many  of  them  of  most 
beautiful  plumage.  Among  the  most  striking  may  be 
named  parrots,  toucans,  the  lory,  king-fishers,  wood- 
peckers, the  sugar-bird,  the  honey-bird,  and  a  kind  of 


INSECTS  AND  BIRDS. 


329 


canary.  There  is  a  very  remarkable  long-tailed  finch, 
common  in  most  localities,  the  male  of  which  carries 
behind  it  a  waving  tail  three  times  the  length  of  its 
body.    This  is  known  as  the  Kafir-finch." 

The  intungonono  {Crypogeranus\  called  the  "secre- 
tary bird"  because  of  the  tuft  of  plumes  on  the  back 
of  its  head  giving  it,  thus  far,  a  resemblance  to  the 
head  of  a  clerk,  who  sticks  his  pen  in  his  hair,  behind 
his  ear,  is  a  bird  of  no  inconsiderable  fame.  The  orni- 
thologists were  long  puzzled  to  find  a  place  for  it  among 
the  classes  into  which  they  had  divided  the  feathery 
tribes.  The  general  conclusion  seems  to  be  that  it  must 
be  arranged  among  the  vultures ;  though  in  view  of  cer- 
tain external  characters,  it  is  still  looked  upon  as  "  one 
of  those  mixed  and  aberrant  forms-  by  means  of  which 
the  arbitrary  divisions  of  natural  objects  established  by 
man  are  so  frequently  assimilated  to  each  other  in  the 
most  beautiful,  and  occasionally  in  the  most  unexpected 
manner."  The  Hottentots  used  to  call  it  the  "ser- 
pent eater ;"  and  for  its  many  valuable  services  in  this 
line,  either  real  or  reputed,  it  has  ever  been  looked  upon 
and  treated  with  very  great  respect.  In  size,  color, 
and  general  appearance,  it  looks  very  much  like  a  great 
gray  turkey  on  stilts. 

The  honey  bird  or  guide  (an  indicator),  called  by  the 
natives  ingende  or  inhlavu,  is  another  curious  South 
African  bird;  being  noted  for  conducting  people  to 
cells  of  wild  honey.  I  have  met  with  it,  or  it  with  me, 
in  some  of.  my  journeyings  about  the  country;  and  had 
it  fly  along  before  me,  with  its  peculiar  chirping,  but 
never  in  circumstances  where  I  was  free  to  follow  it, 
and  see  if  it  would  actually  bring  me  to  a  nest  of  honey 
28  * 


330 


ZULU-LAND. 


bees.  But  I  have  often  been  assured,  both  by  natives 
and  others  whose  testimony  I  had  no  reason  to  doubt, 
that  they  do  conduct  to  such  treasures.  The  whole 
truth,  however,  seems  to  be,  that  it  will  lead  you  to 
anything  unusual,  provided  you  follow  its  chirping 
calls,  especially  to  something  of  a  marked  and  fearful 
character,  as  a  snake,  a  tiger  or  lion,  a  buffalo  or  ele- 
phant. 

The  ijuha  is  a  beautiful  kind  of  crescent-necked  dove 
or  pigeon, — a  South  African  specimen  of  the  columha 
risoria  or  Turtur  risorius  ;  being  so  called  from  a  fan- 
cied resemblance  between  some  of  its  cooings  and  a 
hearty  laugh.  Its  tones,  however,  are  too  plaintive  to 
make  the  name  in  all  respects  appropriate.  Ask  the 
natives,  who  are  good  at  imitating  the  songs  of  birds, 
what  the  ^Jw5a  says,  and  he  replies, — goo-goo  goo-goo  ; 
the  first  compound  ending  in  a  rising  intonation  or  slide 
of  the  voice,  the  second  in  a  falling.  If  the  bird  be 
near,  you  hear  other  notes  also ;  as,  amagoo-goo  goo-goo; 
then  again  the  bird  seems  to  suppress  one  note,  and  say, 
amagoo  goo-goo.  At  another  time,  especially  in  the 
season  of  harvesting,  this  feathered  songster  gives  us 
another  piece,  which  the  natives  represent  thus, — ama- 
dohwe  avutiwe ;  the  accent  of  each  word  being  on  the 
penult  0  and  ^, — the  sentiment,  not  the  sound,  of  which 
is — the  harvest  is  ready.  But,  whatever  it  may  say,  the 
ijuha  is  one  of  the  pretty  things  with  which  our  eyes 
and  ears  are  greeted,  ever  and  anon,  in  all  our  peram- 
bulations on  these  Natalian  shores.  Indeed,  scarcely  a 
day  passes  that  half  a  dozen,  or  more,  do  not  come  to 
roam  and  flit  in  our  avenue,  or  to  see  what  nice  little 
titbit  they  can  find  under  the  window,  in  front  of  the 


INSECTS  AND  BIRDS. 


331 


door,  or  in  the  garden.  Among  the  beautiful  shades 
of  its  color,  a  kind  of  bluish  gray  or  slate  color  pre- 
vails ;  the  sides  and  back  of  its  neck  being  marked  with 
a  black  crescent  or  demi-collar.  In  size,  it  seems  nearly 
as  long,  but  not  so  large  as  the  domestic  pigeon,  or 
common  dove.  Nor  must  I  omit  to  mention  that  men 
of  science  think  the  bird  of  which  I  speak  to  be  "  pro- 
bably the  Turtle  of  the  Scriptures," — the  same  which 
Noah  sent  forth  "to  see  if  the  waters  were  abated,' 
and  which  finally  "came  in  to  him  in  the  evening;  and 
lo,  in  her  mouth  was  an  olive-leaf  plucked  off;"  and 
the  same  whose  swiftness  and  innocence  are  so  beauti 
fully  alluded  to  by  the  Psalmist,  where  he  says  :  "  Oh, 
that  I  had  wings  like  a  dove !  for  then  would  I  fly  away, 
and  be  at  rest.  Lo,  then  would  I  wander  far  off,  and 
remain  in  the  wilderness.  I  would  hasten  my  escape 
from  the  windy  storm  and  tempest." 


332 


ZULU-LAND. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

EUROPEAN  ENTERPRISE  IN  NATAL. 

"A  land  of  climate  fair,  and  fertile  soil, 

Teeming  with  milk,  and  wine,  and  waving  corn, 
Invites  from  far  the  venturous  Briton's  toil  j 

And  thousands,  long  by  fruitless  cares  foreworn, 
Are  now  across  the  wide  Atlantic  borne, 

To  seek  new  homes  on  Afric's  Southern  strand  j 
Better  to  launch  with  them  than  sink  forlorn 

Tc  vile  dependence  in  our  native  land  ; 

Better  to  fall  in  God's  than  man's  unfeeling  hand." 

Pringle. 

The  foregoing  pages  respecting  men  and  things  in 
and  about  Natal,  would  not  approximate  completeness, 
without  some  notice  of  the  European  footstep, — or  those 
marks  of  civilization,  of  agriculture,  of  trade,  and  of 
commerce,  which  the  white  man  is  imprinting  upon 
these  shores.  Nor  can  too  high  an  estimate  be  formed 
of  the  change  that  has  come  over  the  face  of  this 
country  since  it  began  to  be  subject  to  the  influence  of 
Anglo-Saxon  energy. 

When  I  first  arrived  at  Natal,  some  fifteen  years 
ago,  the  number  of  vessels  coming  to  this  port  was 
small,  somewhat  like  angels'  visits,  few  and  far  between. 
But,  for  the  last  year  or  two,  it  has  been  no  uncommon 
thing  for  two  or  three  to  come  into  port  in  a  single  day 


EUROPEAN  ENTERPRISE  IN  NATAL.  333 


The  shipping  list  often  gives  us  the  names  of  ten  or  a 
dozen  vessels  in  the  bay  at  once.  No  less  than  ninety- 
seven  came  here  during  the  last  year.  In  passing,  I 
may  remark  that  while  I  write,  March  12,  1862,  there 
are  three  American  vessels  in  port, — the  "Warren,"  a 
barque,  from  Baltimore;  the  "Cornelia,"  a  schooner, 
with  a  cargo  of  oil  from  Desolation  Island ;  and  the 
"Mary  and  Louisa,"  a  barque,  from  New  York,  with 
an  assorted  cargo  and  deals. 

The  anchorage  in  the  roadstead,  outside  of  the  bay  and 
bar,  is  generally  safe,  except  when  the  wind  blows  with 
great  violence  directly  on  shore,  which  is  not  often  the 
case.  The  cape  of  Natal  consists  of  a  prominent  head- 
land, rising  abruptly,  on  the  south  side  of  the  entrance 
to  the  bay,  to  the  height  of  about  three  hundred  feet. 
This  "Bluff,"  as  it  is  called,  is  surmounted  with  a  flag- 
staff ;  and  it  is  hoped  the  time  is  not  distant  when  it 
shall  have  a  light-house  for  the  guidance  of  the  be- 
nighted mariner.  The  bar  of  sand  which  crosses  the 
mouth  of  the  port,  the  entrance  into  the  bay,  is  subject 
to  considerable  change ;  being  raised  by  the  swell  of 
the  ocean,  and  then  scoured  away  again  by  the  force 
of  the  ebbing  tide.  The  depth  of  water  on  this  bar  of 
sand  varies  from  eight  to  seventeen  feet,  the  average 
being  nine  or  ten  feet.  Hence,  vessels  of  three  or  four 
hundred  tons  burthen  are  often  obliged  to  wait  in  the 
outer  anchorage,  till  the  high  tides  give  them  an  addi- 
tion of  two  feet  more  water,  ere  they  can  enter  the 
quiet,  land-locked  harbor.  Within  a  year  or  two,  how- 
ever, a  useful  little  steam  tug  has  been  provided,  by 
means  of  which  many  of  the  chances  of  being  detained 
outside,  especially  those  which  arose  from  adverse  winds, 


su 


ZULU-LAND. 


have  been  removed.  Very  extensive  and  important 
harbor  works  have  also  been  commenced,  the  object  of 
which  is  to  confine  the  sweeping  current  of  the  tide  to 
one  central  and  narrow  channel,  and  so  remove  the  pre- 
sent bar,  and  prevent  the  formation  of  another.  These 
works  completed,  it  is  believed  that  Port  Natal  will  be 
found  one  of  the  safest  and  best  of  all  the  harbors  on 
the  coast  of  Africa. 

Coming  ashore,  instead  of  the  low,  sandy  beach  of 
other  days,  you  now  find  a  nice  landing  quay,  and  a 
pier  extending  so  far  into  deep  water  that  vessels  of  a 
heavy  burthen  may  be  moored  by  its  side.  Here,  too, 
you  find  a  custom-house,  the  offices  and  ware-houses  of 
the  landing  agents,  together  with  a  railway  terminus 
and  depot ;  while,  scattered  here  and  there,  in  the  sur- 
rounding "bush"  are  to  be  found  the  dwellings  of  the 
pilots,  sailors,  and  others  connected  with  the  port. 
Here,  too,  the  Episcopalians  have  erected  a  neat  little 
church.  A  block-house,  with  artillery  and  a  few  sol- 
diers, marks  the  summit  of  a  neighboring  hillock. 

Taking  a  seat  in  one  of  the  railway  carriages,  you 
leave  the  Port,  or  "Point,"  as  it  is  often  called,  pass 
the  village  of  Addington,  soon  complete  the  route  of 
three  miles,  and  find  yourself  in  the  town  of  Durban. 
Port  Natal,  it  will  be  noted,  is  but  a  port,  not  a  town ; 
Durban  being  the  name  of  the  town  upon  the  port  or 
bay.  Fifteen  years  ago,  a  dozen  or  two  of  "  wattle- 
and-dab"  dwellings,  two  or  three  so-called  stores,  and  a 
barn-like  chapel  constituted  the  substance  of  the  little 
half-hidden  hamlet,  which  has  since  grown  into  a  large, 
flourishing  town,  with  a  white  population  numbering 
something  more  than  a  thousand  souls.    The  streets 


EUROPEAN  ENTERPRISE  IN  NATAL.  335 


are  straight,  and  cross  each  other  at  right  angles.  Some 
of  the  side-walks  have  been  redeemed  from  the  trouble- 
some sand  which  abounds  in  all  this  region,  and  begun 
to  be  shaded  and  adorned  with  trees.  Good  brick 
houses  with  slate  or  metal  roofs  are  taking  the  place 
of  the  cheap,  temporary  structures  of  earlier  days. 
Many  of  the  stores  are  of  a  large,  substantial  character, 
with  plate-glass  windows,  and  a  supply  of  goods  of  no 
mean  quality.  Four  or  five  places  of  public  worship 
may  be  found  here.  The  Wesleyans  have  two  chapels, 
one  for  the  white  people,  and  another  for  the  natives. 
The  Congregational  chapel,  which  was  built  some  six  or 
seven  years  since,  has  been  enlarged  by  the  addition  of 
a  gallery,  and  must  be  enlarged  again,  or  give  place  to 
a  new  and  more  commodious  house.  The  other  places 
of  worship  belong,  one  to  the  Episcopalians  of  the 
Church  of  England,  the  other  to  the  Roman  Catholics. 
The  Mechanics'  Institute  has  a  reading-room,  well  sup- 
plied with  periodicals,  and  a  library  containing  about 
fifteen  hundred  volumes.  There  are  two  newspapers 
published  in  Durban, — the  "Natal  Star,"  once  a  week, 
and  the  "Natal  Mercury,"  twice  a  week. 

About  a  mile  from  town,  on  the  lower  slope  and  sea 
side  of  the  Berea,  is  a  botanical  garden,  the  property 
of  a  company  which  bears  the  name  of  the  Agricultural 
and  Horticultural  Society.  This  garden  extends  over 
an  area  of  fifty  acres,  about  half  of  which  are  under 
cultivation.  The  ground  was  laid  out  some  ten  or  twelve 
years  since,  and  contains  groves  of  bananas,  beds  of 
pine-apples  hedges  of  mulberries,  oranges,  and  lemons, 
the  papaw  and  mango,  sugar-cane  and  cotton-plant, 
arrow-root  and  ginger,  euphorbias,  cactuses,  and  aloes. 


336 


ZULU-LAND. 


There  is  also  a  military  camp  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Durban. 

Leaving  the  seaport  town,  we  may  take  an  omnibus 
in  the  morning,  and,  after  a  ride  of  fifty-four  miles,  find 
ourselves  at  night  in  the  city  of  Maritzburg,  the  capital 
of  the  colony.  In  shape  and  size,  this  is  a  regular 
quadrangle,  nearly  a  mile  wide  and  about  a  mile  and  a 
half  in  length,  with  a  population  of  about  two  thousand 
inhabitants.  On  approaching  the  city,  we  cross  a  cast- 
iron  bridge,  which  has  been  thrown  over  the  Little 
Bushman's  river  at  a  cost  of  more  than  two  thousand 
pounds  sterling.  Near  the  bridge,  is  a  large  and 
valuable  grist  mill,  which  is  driven  by  water  taken  by  a 
canal  from  the  river.  The  streets  of  the  city  are  wide, 
and  intersect  each  other  at  right  angles.  Along  the 
side  of  almost  every  street  there  is  a  stream  of  running 
water,  from  which  the  inhabitants  derive  an  abundant 
supply. 

The  town  was  laid  out  by  the  Dutch,  and  some  of  the 
streets  still  retain  the  cumbersome  names  which  their 
projectors  gave  them.  At  the  upper  end  of  the  town, 
at  the  distance  of  a  quarter  of  a  mile,  is  the  military 
camp  called  Fort  Napier.  The  large,  open  space  in  the 
centre  of  the  town,  where  wagons  from  the  country  go 
to  dispose  of  their  produce,  is  called  "Market  Square." 
Adjoining  this  square  is  another  open  space  reserved 
for  government  offices.  On  one  side  of  this  site  is  a 
stone  Gothic  building,  erected  by  Bishop  Colenso  as  a 
chapel  for  the  natives ;  on  the  other  side  stands  another 
stone  building,  known  as  the  "  Scotch  Church."  The 
Dutch  Reformed  Church  have  a  new  house  below  the 
square ;  while,  pending  the  erection  of  a  more  suitable 


EUROPEAN  ENTERPRISE  IN  NATAL. 


337 


edifice,  tlie  Congregationalists  rent  a  public  room  within 
the  square.  The  Episcopal  Church  has  two  fine  stone 
buildings,  besides  the  native  chapel, — the  cathedral  and 
St.  Andrew's.  The  Wesleyans  have  two  chapels,  one 
for  the  white  people,  and  one  for  the  native,  also  a  large 
school-room,  all  near  the  centre  of  the  city.  The  Ro- 
man Catholics  have  also  a  chapel,  and  a  college,  as  they 
call  it. 

The  public  buildings,  government  offices,  are,  for  the 
present,  merely  rented  tenements,  which  do  neither  the 
city  nor  anything  else  any  great  credit.  The  govern- 
ment school-room  serves  to  accommodate  the  Legisla- 
tive council  during  its  annual  sessions.  The  Natal 
Bank,  recently  erected,  is  a  fine  building,  and  Grey 
Hospital  will  doubtless  prove  as  us^eful  as  it  is  commo- 
dious. The  Natal  Society,  a  Literary  Institution,  has 
an  excellent  library,  also  a  reading-room ;  and  often 
favors  the  public  with  an  interesting  lecture  on  some 
useful  topic.  There  are  three  weekly  newspapers 
printed  in  the  city — the  "Witness,"  the  "Courier," 
and  the  "Bode;"  the  last  being  of  recent  origin  and 
in  the  Dutch  language.  The  "  Government  Gazette," 
should  also  be  reckoned  among  the  periodicals  of  this 
place. 

The  city  is  adorned  and  shaded  with  a  goodly  num- 
ber of  trees,  the  most  common  of  which  are  the  syrin- 
gas,  blue  gums,  and  weeping  willows.  The  rose  is  used 
as  a  hedge,  and  blossoms  at  all  seasons  of  the  year. 
Many  of  the  private  gardens  abound  in  the  peach  and 
other  kinds  of  fruit.  Some  of  the  houses  are  of  a  good, 
commodious,  substantial  character. 

Continuing  our  route  inland  and  on  the  road  to  the 
29 


338 


ZULU-LAND. 


Orange  Free-State,  a  hundred  miles  from  Maritzburg, 
we  find  Ladismith,  (Lady  Smith,)  the  seat  of  a  magis- 
tracy, and  chief  settlement  in  Klip-River  County.  The 
town  numbers  about  a  hundred  inhabitants,  and  pos- 
sesses a  government  office,  a  court-house,  a  Dutch 
Reformed  Church  and  an  Episcopal  Church ;  also  a 
few  stores  and  mechanic  shops.  In  the  neighborhood 
are  several  Butch  farmers,  who  regard  the  District  as 
well  suited  to  dairying,  to  the  growth  of  cattle  and 
sheep,  and  to  the  cultivation  of  wheat.  The  white  po- 
pulation of  the  county  amounts  to  about  1,500,  of 
which  nearly  five-sixths  are  of  Datch  origin.  The  na- 
tive population  of  the  county  numbers  upwards  of  6,000. 
The  yearly  produce  of  butter  is  estimated  at  two  hun- 
dred thousand  pounds ;  there  are  about  25,000  head 
of  cattle  in  the  county,  and  40,000  sheep. 

The  village  of  Weenen  was  the  seat  of  the  magistracy 
for  the  county  of  Weenen  till  a  few  years  since,  and  a 
branch  of  the  magistrate's  office  is  still  retained  there ; 
though  the  headquarters  are  now  at  Estcourt  at  the 
"drift,"  or  ford,  of  the  Great  Bushman's  River.  The 
county  contains  about  a  thousand  white  inhabitants, 
chiefly  Dutch,  and  about  two  thousand  natives  ;  15,000 
head  of  cattle,  10,000  sheep,  and  nearly  2,000  horses. 
The  farmers  grow  wheat,  Indian  corn,  oats,  barley,  and 
fruit,  and  distill  a  kind  of  brandy  from  the  peach. 

The  village  of  York  is  a  thriving  little  settlement  in 
the  county  of  Maritzburg,  situated  about  thirty-five 
miles  north-east  from  the  city.  The  most  of  the  set- 
tlers are  engaged  in  growing  oat  forage,  which  they 
send  to  Maritzburg.  They  have  a  Wesleyan  minister 
among  them,  a  Wesleyan  church,  and  a  school. 


EUROPEAN  ENTERPRISE  IN  NATAL. 


339 


The  village  of  Richmond  is  situated  about  twenty- 
five  miles  south  of  the  city,  on  the  Ilovu  River.  It  is 
the  seat  of  a  magistracy,  and  contains  a  school-house, 
an  Episcopal  Church,  a  store  or  two,  and  a  few  trades- 
men. The  white  inhabitants,  scattered  here  and  there, 
in  and  out  of  the  village,  number  some  three  hundred 
or  more. 

The  county  of  Maritzburg  contains  a  population  of 
nearly  4,000  white  inhabitants,  and  about  50,000  black ; 
about  5,000  head  of  cattle,  nearly  40,000  sheep,  more 
than  2,000  horses,  and  six  or  seven  thousand  goats. 
Its  principal  productions  are  oats,  Indian  corn,  wheat, 
and  potatoes.  The  county  contains  a  good  supply  of 
water-mills  for  grinding  meal  and  sawing  timber.  Of 
these  there  are  half  a  dozen  or  more  in  the  city. 

The  Umvoti  county  contains  seven  or  eight  hun- 
dred white  inhabitants,  and  upwards  of  15,000  black. 
Wheat,  oats,  and  Indian  corn  are  its  chief  productions. 
Many  of  its  white  inhabitants  are  of  Dutch  origin. 
The  principal  village  is  known  by  the  name  of  Grey 
Town,  and  contains  some  signs  of  thrift,  among  which 
must  be  reckoned  a  school-house,  a  store,  a  grist-mill, 
and  the  seat  of  magistracy  for  the  county. 

Coming  back  to  the  coast-lands  of  the  colony,  whe- 
ther we  wind  our  way  up  or  down,  north  or  south,  we 
see  signs  of  European  enterprise  on  every  hand.  Large 
tracts  of  land  that  were  lying  waste  ten  or  fifteen  years 
ago  are  now  bringing  forth  the  sugar-cane,  the  arrow- 
root, the  cotton  or  the  cofiee-plant,  the  orange-tree,  and 
the  lemon ;  or  some  other  product  of  an  equally  useful 
character,  such  as  oats,  corn,  and  potatoes.  Scarcely 
more  than  ten  years  have  elapsed  since  the  first  attempt 


340 


ZULU-LAND. 


to  prove  the  capabilities  of  the  soil  for  growing  sugar- 
cane, and  now  I  can  count  no  less  than  fortj-five 
sugar-mills,  each  of  which  must  have  cost  four  or  five 
thousand  pounds,  or  from  twenty  to  thirty  thousand 
dollars.  There  is  a  continuous  line  of  cane-field,  some 
six  miles  long,  on  the  low  lands  of  the  Umlazi  and 
Isipingo ;  nor  are  there  less  than  a  dozen  mills  in  that 
neighborhood. 

The  southern  division  of  coast-lands  comprises  the 
county  of  Durban  and  a  large  district  beyond  the  Um- 
komazi.  Passing  from  Durban  in  this  direction  we  find 
the  little  village  of  Congela,  three  miles  out  of  town, 
at  the  head  of  the  Bay.  Here  the  Dutch  had  an  en- 
campment at  the  time  of  their  contest  with  the  English, 
twenty  years  ago.  A  few  cottages  and  vegetable  gar- 
dens, a  salt  manufactory,  and  a  few  brick  and  lime- 
kilns are  about  all  that  mark  the  place  at  the  present 
time.  Farther  on,  we  find  Claremont  and  Wentworth, 
and  the  farms  known  as  Sea  View,  Snaresbrook,  and 
Stella. 

The  county  of  Durban  contains  a  population  of  about 
2,500  white  people,  mostly  of  English  origin,  12,000 
blacks.  The  produce  of  the  county  for  1858,  was  362  tons 
of  sugar  ;  127  tons  of  arrow-root;  upwards  of  7,000  lbs. 
cofiee,  besides  a  large  quantity  of  Indian  corn,  oats, 
beans,  and  potatoes.  There  are  several  schools  and 
places  of  worship  in  diff*erent  parts  of  the  county.  The 
pleasant  little  village  of  Pine  Town,  which  is  situated 
about  twelve  miles  from  Durban,  on  the  road  to  Maritz- 
burg,  contains  a  small  Episcopal  church,  a  good  school, 
several  stores,  a  butcher's  and  a  baker's  shop,  and  a 
goodly  number  of  neat,  commodious  dwellings  scattered 


EUROPEAN  ENTERPRISE  IN  NATAL.  341 


here  and  there  over  a  broad  expanse  of  ground.  The 
Congregationalists  and  Presbyterians  unite  in  the  sup- 
port of  public  worship  at  this  place.  In  the  immediate 
neighborhood  of  Pine  Town,  is  the  settlement  of  New 
Germany,  the  name  of  which  indicates  the  land  from 
which  most  of  the  settlers  came  twelve  or  fifteen  years 
ago.  The  white  population  of  this  place  and  Pine  Town 
together,  numbers  about  300. 

Passing  from  Durban  to  the  north,  we  soon  cross  the 
Umgeni,  and  come  into  the  county  of  Victoria.  The 
obstacle  which  the  Umgeni  river  has  heretofore  pre- 
sented to  travel  in  the  summer  season,  when  rains 
abound,  is  about  to  be  removed  by  the  erection  of  an 
iron  bridge,  the  cost  of  which  will  be  upwards  of  £12, 
000.  This  will  be  a  great  help  to  the  enterprising 
farmers,  and  especially  the  planters  who  have  large 
quantities  of  sugar  to  transport.  Indeed,  so  great  is 
the  amount  of  traffic  in  this  direction  that  the  people  are 
talking  of  a  tramway. 

Verulam  is  the  most  flourishing  village  in  the  county, 
and  forms  the  seat  of  a  magistracy.  It  is  situated  on  the 
river  Umhloti,  eighteen  miles  from  Durban ;  contains 
about  200  inhabitants ;  and  has  a  neat  little  chapel  be- 
longing to  the  Wesleyans,  a  Literary  Institution,  with 
a  library  and  reading-room,  a  post-office,  a  day-school, 
two  or  three  good  stores,  a  wheelwright,  blacksmith,  and 
a  flourishing  mission  station  near  by,  together  with  se- 
veral well-managed  farms  in  the  immediate  neighbor- 
hood. There  is  also  a  magistrate,  a  post-office,  and  the 
nucleus  of  a  village  at  the  Umhlali. 

The  population  of  the  county  is  somewhat  less  than  a 
thousand  white  people,  and  about  30,000  black.  The 
29  * 


342 


ZULU-LAND. 


extent  of  land  under  cultivation,  amounts  to  nearly 
4,000  acres,  of  which  about  one-half  is  devoted  to  sugar- 
cane. The  produce  of  the  county  consists  of  sugar,  ar- 
row-root, oats  and  oat-hay,  Indian  corn,  and  potatoes. 
The  number  of  cattle  in  the  county  would  probably  ex- 
ceed 10,000  head,  besides  a  good  number  of  goats  and 
horses,  and  a  few  sheep. 

The  strictly  commercial  history  of  Natal  as  a  British 
dependency  is  generally  considered  as  dating  from  the 
year  1846.  During  that  year  thirty  vessels  came  to 
Natal,  averaging  each  117  tons,  and  shipping  goods  to 
the  value  of  about  <£40,000;  in  1850  the  number  of  ships 
was  64,  which  averaged  259  tons,  and  brought  goods 
worth  upwards  of  £100,000;  in  1858,  the  number  of 
ships  was  45,  averaging  245  tons,  value  of  imports  about 
X175,000 ;  in  1860,  71  ships,  average  tons  nearly  220, 
value  of  imports  about  <£355,000.  During  the  past 
year  (1861,)  the  number  of  ships  which  came  to  this 
port  was  97.  These  measured  18,192  tons,  and  brought 
imports  worth  upwards  of  £400,000.  Of  these  97  ves- 
sels, 36  came  from  Great  Britain,  39  from  Cape  colony, 
10  from  other  parts  of  Africa,  and  one  from  the  United 
States.  Of  the  above  £400,000  worth  of  imports,  more 
than  £10,000  went  for  strong  drink,  upwards  of  £3,000 
for  tea  and  coffee,  about  £1,500  for  beads,  and  about 
£1,000  for  arms  and  ammunition. 

Among  the  exports  from  Natal,  the  most  important 
articles  are  wool,  ivory,  hides,  sugar,  and  butter.  Of 
these  articles  the  value  of  the  exports  of  the  last  year 
was, — wool,  nearly  £33,000;  ivory,  nearly  £23,000; 
hides  (bulfalo  and  ox)  about  £10,000,  and  about  £1,000 
for  calf,  sheep,  and  goat  skins  ;  sugar,  (764  tons)  nearly 


EUROPEAN  ENTERPRISE  IN  NATAL. 


343 


£20,000;  butter  (upwards  of  126  tons)  nearly  £15, 
000. 

In  1848,  the  value  of  the  produce  exported  from  the 
colony  of  Natal  was  estimated  at  £10,000 ;  in  1850,  at 
£15,000 ;  in  1855,  at  £45,000 ;  in  1858,  at  £91,000 ; 
in  1860,  at  £129,000 ;  and  the  last  year,  at  nearly 
£110,000.  The  total  revenue  of  the  colony  for  the 
last  year  was  about  £114,000. 

There  are  two  Banking  companies  in  Natal — the  Na- 
tal Bank  at  Maritzburg,  with  a  capital  of  £40,000;  and 
the  Commercial  and  Agricultural  Bank  at  Durban,  with 
a  capital  of  £50,000.  The  Natal  Fire  Assurance  and 
Trust  Company,  which  was  established  in  1849,  under- 
takes the  administration  of  Intestate  and  other  estates, 
insures  life  and  property,  and  does  agency  business  of 
other  kinds. 

The  following  is  the  average  price  of  some  of  the 
principal  articles  of  consumption  in  Natal  at  the  present 
time  : — Sugar  (lump)  Is.  per  lb.,  (raw)  4d.  to  6d.  per 
lb. ;  tea,  mixed,  3s.  9d ;  coffee,  raw.  Is ;  flour,  6d ; 
meal  4d ;  best  rice  5d ;  butter  Is.  6d ;  beef  steak  6d ; 
bacon  Is.  6d ;  pork  6d ;  mutton  6d ;  candles,  tallow, 
Is.  per  lb.,  sperm  Is.  9d  ;  potatoes  5s.  a  bushel ;  Indian 
corn  4s.  a  bushel ;  beans  7s.  a  bushel.  Good  oxen  fetch 
£8  or  £10  each ;  cows  from  £3  to  £6 ;  horses  £15  to 
£25.  Tradesmen,  as  masons,  carpenters,  and  printers, 
get  from  five  to  eight  shillings  a  day  and  board  them- 
selves. 

Almost  every  white  man,  at  least  every  householder 
has  two  or  three  natives  in  his  emj^loy,  mostly  young 
men,  the  wages  of  whom  average  eight  or  ten  shillings 
per  month  and  food.    Most  of  tlic  planters  have  a  largo 


344 


ZXJLU-LAND. 


number  of  these  colored  laborers,  twenty  or  thirty  in 
their  service.  I  believe  the  whole  number  of  natives 
thus  employed  by  the  white  man  is  reckoned  at  about 
twenty  thousand,  or  about  twice  as  many  servants  as 
there  are  white  people  in  the  colony. 

The  price  of  land  in  Natal  varies,  of  course,  accord- 
ing to  quality,  situation,  and  other  circumstances.  In 
the  neighborhood  of  Durban,  the  sea-port  town,  it  may 
cost  from  one  to  five  pounds  per  acre ;  at  a  distance 
from  port,  it  may  be  had  for  two,  five,  or  ten  shillings. 
No  census  of  the  population  of  the  colony  has  ever  been 
taken,  but  the  number  of  white  inhabitants  is  now  reck- 
oned at  about  twelve  thousand.  Natural  increase  and 
immigration  from  the  mother  country  are  steadily  add- 
ing to  their  number. 

So  far  as  I  can  judge,  the  British  crown  lays  claim  to 
no  dependency  of  more  promise  as  a  field  for  emigration 
than  the  colony  of  Natal. 


AFFAIRS  IN  ZULU-LAND. 


345 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

PRESENT  STATE  OF  AFFAIRS  IN  ZULU-LAND. 

The  present  state  of  Zulu-land  proper,  that  is, 
the  district  north-east  of  Natal  and  beyond  the  Tu- 
gela  River,  claims  a  brief  space,  and  will  close  our 
effort  to  acquaint  our  readers  with  this  portion  of  the 
African  continent.  In  a  previous  chapter  we  have 
sketched  the  reigns  of  Chaka  and  Dingan,  bringing  the 
history  of  the  Zulu  dynasty  down  to  the  flight  and  death 
of  Dingan,  and  the  general  acknowledgment  of  Um- 
pande  as  king  in  his  stead.  These  events  occurred  in 
the  early  part  of  the  year  1840.  Since  that  time  Um- 
pande  has  continued  his  seat  upon  the  throne  of  Zulu- 
land. 

The  most  important  event  of  this  period,  thus  far,  is 
the  battle  which  occurred  in  1856,  between  two  of  Um- 
pande's  sons  and  their  respective  adherents,  on  the 
east  side  of  the  lower  Tugela. 

An  extract  from  Dr.  Mann's  "Colony  of  Natal," 
will  give  as  good  a  view  as  can  be  presented  of  the 
state  of  affairs  in  the  Zulu  country  at  that  period : 
"  In  the  year  1856,  a  feud  broke  out  in  Zulu-land,  just 
beyond  the  northern  boundary  of  the  colony,  between 
the  sons  of  Pande,  the  Zulu  king,  which  led  to  a  sjm- 


346 


ZULU-LAND. 


guinarj  struggle  among  the  extra-colonial  Zulus.  The 
conflict  took  place  close  to  the  confines  of  the  colony 
of  Natal,  and  the  vanquished  party  sought  refuge  by 
thousands  in  the  British  territory ; — the  boundary 
stream  was  nevertheless  respected  by  the  victors,  even 
in  the  first  flush  of  conquest.  The  remote  causes  of 
this  struggle  can  be  briefly  explained,  and  the  explana- 
tion will  serve  the  farther  purpose  of  representing  the 
state  of  aflairs  existing  at  the  present  time  in  the  terri- 
tory of  the  most  powerful  of  the  independent  native 
tribes  residing  near  to  Natal. 

"All  the  male  Zulus  above  a  certain  age,  are  banded 
into  regiments,  and  these  regiments  are  required  by  the 
king  to  render  certain  service  at  the  royal  military 
kraals.  The  ordinary  service  consists  mainly  in  build- 
ing huts  and  fences,  and  in  milking  and  herding  the  cows 
belonging  to  the  king.  The  captains  and  chief  men  of 
the  regiments  on  service  are  expected  to  spend  their 
time  mainly  at  the  king's  residence,  or  principal  kraal, 
where  they  have  huts  ;  their  food  being  forwarded  to 
them  from  their  own  people.  The  custom  of  the  land 
is  that  these  chiefs  in  attendance  should  receive  gratui- 
ties of  cattle  from  the  king,  in  recognition  of  their  ser- 
vices. In  the  time  of  Chaka  and  Dingan,  the  payment 
was  easily  made.  There  was  then  constant  war,  and 
there  was  always  abundance  of  spoil  to  be  divided. 
Pande,  (Um-pande),  however,  came  into  power  in  the 
interests  of  peace.  As  soon  as  he  was  firmly  seated  on 
Hs  throne,  he  found  himself  closely  hemmed  in  by  his 
Dutch  and  English  neighbors,  and  had  to  depend  en- 
tirely upon  his  own  internal  resources  for  carrying  on 
his  government.    The  consequence  has  been,  that  the 


AFFAIRS  IN  ZTJLIJ-LAND. 


847 


t'hief  men  assembled  at  the  king's  place  have  often  been 
in  a  starving  state ;  and  when  they  have  gone  home  to 
their  kraals,  at  the  expiration  of  their  court-attendance, 
they  have  commonly  been  forced  to  do  so  empty-handed. 
Now  and  then,  an  excuse  has  been  found  to  get  rid  of 
a  wealthy  subject,  in  consequence  of  a  snake  having 
made  its  appearance  at  some  particular  spot,  or  for  sbme 
other  equally  pertinent  reason,  and  to  constitute  the 
royal  person  his  heir.  Pande's  soldiers  have,  neverthe- 
less, had  but  small  pickings  since  his  accession,  and 
upon  more  than  one  occasion  have  had  to  disperse  in 
search  of  food  for  themselves.  This  state  of  matters 
has  furnished  ground  for  a  growing  dissatisfaction  with 
the  king.  In  addition  to  this,  it  has  pleased  Pande  to 
keep  his  braves  unwived,  as  well  as  unfed,  to  an  un- 
usually advanced  age.  The  king  has  also  been  con- 
tinually in  ill  health,  and  waxing  enormously  fat.  His 
people  have  not  often  seen  him,  excepting  when  walking 
in  solitary  state  at  a  distance.  His  captains  have  been 
rarely  assembled  in  council,  and  not  uncommonly  his 
orders  have  been  issued  to  his  immediate  attendants  in 
such  a  confused  and  hasty  way,  that  the  recipients  have 
scattered  themselves  in  all  directions  only  to  look  blank 
at  each  other,  and  wonder  w^hat  they  were  after,  and 
what  they  were  expected  to  do.  From  these  several 
causes,  the  idea  has  gradually  been  generated  in  the 
popular  mind  that  Pande  is  not  a  king  'after  the  Zulu 
heart.'  He  has,  nevertheless,  been  himself  personally 
kept  in  ignorance  of  the  disaffection  of  his  people,  in 
consequence  of  the  isolated  manner  in  which  he  has 
lived,  and  th3  unwillingness  of  those  around  him  to 
speak  with  him  of  unpalatable  facts. 


348 


ZULU-LAND. 


"After  this  state  of  matters  had  continued  at  the 
Zulu  court  for  some  time,  the  king  gave  permission  to 
his  eldest  sons  to  found  kraals  of  their  own,  and  to  go 
to  reside  in  them,  in  order  to  relieve  the  pressure  upon 
his  immediate  resources.  The  young  men  forthwith 
availed  themselves  of  the  permission,  and  the  most  dis- 
affected of  the  king's  subjects  soon  began  to  pay  court 
to  the  rising  luminaries,  and  to  attach  themselves  to  the 
persons  of  these  juvenile  chiefs.  They  called  this  '  liv- 
ing under  the  tiger's  tail and  when,  at  any  time,  they 
were  called  upon  to  leave  their  chosen  position,  and  go 
up  towards  the  tiger's  head,  they  considered  that  this 
would  necessarily  bring  them  more  within  reach  of  the 
tiger's  teeth  and  claws,  and  so  they  declined  to  obey. 
In  this  way  the  parties  of  the  king's  sons  gradually 
waxed  strong,  but  at  the  same  time  grew  more  and 
more  jealous  of  each  other.  The  two  eldest  sons,  Kech- 
wayo  and  Umbulazi,  ultimately  became  the  rallying 
points  of  the  dissension.  The  young  men  of  the  tribe, 
who  had  heard  glowing  accounts  of  the  pleasant  and 
profitable  days  of  Chaka  and  Dingan,  rallied  round 
Kechwayo.  The  younger  sons  of  the  king  attached 
themselves  to  Umbulazi.  Hunting  parties  were  assem- 
bled, and  the  hunters  appeared  with  the  large  war- 
shield,  instead  of  with  their  hunting  gear,  and  assegais 
began  to  manifest  an  inclination  towards  human  breasts, 
in  the  place  of  seeking  only  quadrupedal  prey.  A 
rumor  of  what  was  going  on  at  length  reached  Pande's 
ears,  and  he  sent  for  his  two  sons,  and  charged  them  to 
lay  aside  their  jealousies,  and  to  live  together  in  peace. 
They  demanded  to  have  the  people  called  together  to 
hear  and  decide  their  claims.    Pande  turned  a  deaf  ear 


AFFAIRS  IN  ZULU-LAND. 


349 


to  this  demand,  and  for  a  time  kept  the  younger  of  the 
two  litigants,  Umbulazi,  near  to  him,  but  at  last  gave 
him  permission  to  go  towards  the  Tugela  River,  and 
build  there.  Umbulazi  went  slowly  towards  the  spot 
assigned  to  him,  gathering  adherents  as  he  went,  who 
all  carried  the  great  war-shield,  saying  that  they  did  so 
because  Kechwayo  wanted  to  destroy  their  chief.  It 
was  generally  understood  that  Pande  inclined  to  favor 
Umbulazi ;  this  younger  prince  accordingly  became  the 
representative  of  the  old  king's  party,  and  Kechwayo 
the  hope  of  the  new  movement.  He  was  also  looked 
upon  as  the  real  descendant  of  Dingan,  and  as  the 
man  who  would  restore  cattle  and  fatness  to  the  im- 
poverished kraals. 

"At  the  critical  moment,  the  Prime  Minister  and 
Commander-in-Chief  of  Pande,  declared  for  the  '  White 
Kose,'  and  went  over  to  Kechwayo,  carrying  a  large 
body  of  the  king's  regiments  with  him.  The  final  con- 
sequence of  the  embroilment  was,  that  about  the  begin- 
ning of  December,  1856,  the  army  of  Kechwayo  swept 
down  upon  Umbulazi's  party  in  three  divisions,  and, 
after  a  short  conflict,  dispersed  his  men.  Umbulazi's 
adherents  sought  safety  by  crossing  the  Tugela  into  the 
Natal  District.  The  river  was  swollen  at  the  time,  and 
thousands  of  them  fell  either  under  the  assegai,  or  in 
the  flood.  Umbulazi  and  five  other  of  Pande's  sons 
were  slain  in  the  fight.  Two  young  sons  of  Pande, 
Usikota  and  Umkungu,  (the  latter  a  mere  boy,)  who 
were  not  in  the  fight,  escaped  into  British  territory, 
and  are  now  living  in  Natal  as  refugees. 

"  Since  the  battle  at  the  Tugela  the  old  king  Pande 
has  been  gradually  losing  power,  while  his  son  Kcch- 
30 


350 


ZULU-LANI. 


Tvayo  has  been  gaming.  At  one  time  the  king  was  so 
desolate  that  Kechwayo  had  to  send  him  twenty  men  to 
serve  him.  The  person  of  the  king  was,  nevertheless, 
respected.  In  the  month  of  November,  1857,  a  great 
assembly  of  the  people  was  called  together  at  the  king's 
kraal,  for  the  adjustment  of  differences.  It  was  then 
decided  that  all  party  distinctions  were  thenceforward 
to  be  dropped,  and  that  Kechwayo's  right  to  the  suc- 
cession, on  Pande's  death,  should  be  recognized.  Kech- 
wayo  being  for  the  present  the  chief  Induna  under  the 
king.  It  was  ruled  that  Pande  was  still  competent  to 
thinJc,  but  that  he  was  too  old  to  move.  Thenceforth, 
therefore,  Pande  was  to  be  *  the  head'  of  the  nation,  and 
Kechwayo  'the  feet.'  All  important  matters  of  state 
were  first  to  be  carried  to  Masipula  (the  Prime  Minister) 
and  Kechwayo ;  and  were  then  to  be  referred  to  Pande 
for  final  sanction.  The  arrangement  regarding  the 
succession  was,  however,  a  matter  of  tacit  understand- 
ing, rather  than  of  definite  agreement,  because  it  is 
high  treason  in  Zulu-land  to  recognize  in  words  even 
the  possibility  of  such  an  occurrence  as  the  death  of  the 
king.  It  is  related  of  a  gentleman,  at  the  present  time 
connected  with  missionary  work,  that  upon  a  certain 
occasion  he  electrified  the  entire  court  of  Pande  by 
congratulating  the  monarch  upon  his  good  looks,  and 
adding  that  he  'had  heard  a  report  he  was  dead.' 
Pande  himself  was  for  a  brief  interval  mute  from  horror 
and  alarm  ;  but  he  then  recovered  his  presence  of  mind, 
and  with  a  furtive  glance  said,  '  ^Ye  never  speak  of  such 
things  here and  so  proceeded  to  change  the  conversa- 
tion. 

"Affairs  in  Zulu-land  remain  pretty  much  in  the 


AFFAIRS  IN  ZULU-LAND. 


351 


same  condition  up  to  tlie  present  time.  Pande  is  the 
nominal  'head,'  and  Kechwayo  the  acting  'feet.'  Both 
parties  in  the  State,  the  old  and  the  new,  continue  to 
have  their  adherents,  and  appeals  are  frequently  made 
to  the  colonial  government  from  each  for  countenance 
and  recognition.  The  government,  of  course,  remains 
on  friendly  relations  with  Pande,  as  the  actual  ruler, 
and  observes  a  strict  neutrality  in  all  matters  concern- 
ing the  affairs  of  Zulu-land." 

Besides  the  missionaries  of  various  societies,  a  con- 
siderable number  of  other  white  people,  of  divers  kinds, 
are  beginning  to  settle  in  the  Zulu  country,  beyond  the 
Tugela  ;  and  there  is  a  report  that  the  British  govern- 
ment contemplates  annexing  at  least  a  part  of  that 
land  to  Natal.  For  several  years  there  has  been  a 
very  brisk  trade  carried  on  by  both  white  people  and 
natives,  who  go  with  goods,  blankets,  beads,  et  cetera, 
from  Natal  to  Zulu-land,  after  cattle ;  while  others  go 
there,  especially  to  the  more  distant  regions,  as  among 
the  Amanhlwenga  and  Amaswazi,  to  hunt  the  elephant 
for  the  sake  of  its  ivory. 

To  predict  the  future  history  of  these  regions  is  be- 
yond our  power.  But  we  may  trust,  as  we  hope,  that 
the  light  of  the  gospel  will  penetrate  these  dark  realms, 
carrying  with  it  the  blessings  of  civilization  for  the 
present  whilst  it  illumines  the  future  of  their  now 
savage  inhabitants.  Then  will  this  be  a  goodly  land, 
the  home  of  happy  millions,  —  a  contributor  to  the 
comfort  of  earth  and  to  the  joy  of  heaven.  God  grant  this 
happy  fate  to  our  African 


ZULU-LAND. 


DATE  DUE 

CAVLORO 

PMINTCOINU.S.A 

